Happening
by JusKIdding
Summary: Three months after Lea had left. Find out more and mysteries they will come... Sequel to 'A New Story'. 3rd Fanfic. Critics and reviews are accepted. Tell me if I need to improve more please...
1. Chapter 1 HQ

It's been three months since Lea left. Luminous waited patiently and continued to practice his balance between light and darkness. He almost made it until…

"WHAT'S UP!" Dual shouted. Luminous dropped his shining rod.

"Can you not do that?" Luminous groaned. They were at Phantom's airship and Dual was ordered to stay out of sight until Lea return. Empress Cygnus was worried then ordered them to avoid battle much to their annoyance.

Luminous sighed before picking the shining rod up.

"It's not easy you know." Luminous remarked. Luminous grinned at him then decided to take a break. Dual then sat next to him, looking concern.

"I believe that you had the same dream…both her and Aran were there." Dual whispered. Luminous was startled, he thought nobody would believe him if he told them.

Luminous nodded.

"Did you notice that Lea's clothes seem different? She was wearing black leather clothes. Not only that…her hat was the same colour and had a pattern which was same as her sword. It looks self-made." Dual said.

"Maybe she changed it." Luminous suggested. Dual nodded.

"She is a warrior class. Not only that…her white sword…It looked way too different." Dual said. _It's like her lighter self._

"Yeah." Luminous said in a bored tone. He went back to training after that.

* * *

Lea panted. She leaned against the crumbled wall with Aran looking concern.

'You're nearly there.' the familiar voice whispered.

"I know." Lea replied. She then sheathed her two swords at her back. Maha appeared from Aran's pole arm. Aran smiled.

"Thanks for helping me to get my body back." Aran said. "Sorry for saying it late."

"No problem. For now…I need to know where this voice leads." Lea said with a gesture. She then glanced down the dark hallway, activating her dragon's sight again.

* * *

**Flashback**

_Two weeks ago, Lea finally found Aran's body which was in the same ruins Lea saw in her dreams. She managed to put Aran's soul back into her original body much to their relieved. Aran woke up after a few minutes. She rubbed her head and Maha came out from his pole arm. Cheering with joy and teased her._

"_Okay…are you sure? The burden will be quite hard." Aran asked with concern. After 2 months of sharing body, she wasn't ready to let Lea take all the burden of the dragons. Lea shook her head._

"_Our quest isn't over yet." Lea said. The moment Aran left her body, her hair colour and eye colour went back to their original jet-black. She then, grasped her white sword from the thin air. _

'_Lisbeth…' she thought and the blade glowed. This time, it wasn't white anymore. At one side of the blade, consists sliver/green colour. The hilt, once again, changed to dragon scale. Elaborate patterns appeared at the scabbard. Finally, she summoned_ _Tyrfing. She then carried the swords in an X shape._

_A red string appeared and tied the scabbards together. Immediately, her clothes changed. On her head, consist of a black hat with the same pattern as Tyrfing. Her arms which were the gloves changed to black and red. It also became shorter as it covered just her forearm only. Just enough to cover the marks. Both of them have the designs of the pattern from the two swords. Her three quarter pants changed to a longer pant and darker in colour. Her shoes also changed from its sneakers to black with white trim. Last but not least, her shirt, was short-sleeve but revealing her waist and a black vest appeared with it. The pattern of the shirt was a fire emblem, the royal seal of the princess of dragons._

"_Woah…that's really stylish!" Aran remarked._

"_Yeah. Like yours!" Lea joked. Together, the duo laughed. Maha glanced at them then did a face-palm._

_Aran was too weak to move so they decided to make camp there. After a good rest, they break camp and went to explore more._

* * *

Lea and Aran found themselves in a different room where there was an altar. Lea had a bad feeling then pulled Aran's wrist, tugging at it. Aran nodded then hurried out of the room, without any incidents.

Maha scowled at them then uselessly punched Aran.

"Woah!" Maha said as his fist passed through Aran's head. Lea giggled.

"It's useless." Aran and Lea said at simultaneously. Lea then rubbed her arms. It was cold and Lea could barely see with her normal eyesight. Maha's glow made things around them looked sinister. Lea then peeked at the room again. This time the familiar voice came again, 'It's okay. Go. It will be a short while before I send Aran and you to your way…'

"Very well." Lea said loudly then took a deep breath. She stepped inside, half-tempted to run away thanks to the lack of light. The altar glowed with power. From there, emerged a young woman around her 20's stood. A staff in her hands.

"Come closer…I won't bite." the woman reassured the girls. They both gave a meaningful glance and it went like…

_You go first!_

_No, you go!_

_Okay. Next time. You owe me one._

_Oh, shut up!_

Lea approached the woman. She smiled then stroke part of her hair which was loose.

"You really like dark colour, don't you? Lea…" the woman said. She nodded then did a thumbs up at Aran. Aran approached the woman nervously.

"I know both your past…both of you are link by a single chain. Same like your counterpart." the woman stated. "I am the original host of the Dragon of Time, Talos." Lea and Aran was shocked to their very core.

"I am sorry…*sniff*" she said as she wiped the tears away. She dropped to her knees.

"I'm sorry." She kept repeating the words.

"Look…I…I don't understand. Why did you say in my dream that day? You said something about upholding my spirit…and you took the form of Aran herself…" Lea trailed off.

"Because…I myself am the lost princess of dragons…" she explained. "If they ask you…my name is Erika…Erika Nightwalker…"

"Erika…why does that name sound familiar?" Lea asked.

'Because…the original Balancers consist of 5 people unlike now.' Chaos answered desperately.

'I know that but…um…did you guys explain to the alliance?" Lea asked feeling a bit confused.

'Not all.' Chaos retorted. Lea's head tilted a bit.

Erika finally stopped crying. As if could hear her conversation, she poof her cheeks. Then, she laughed.

"If can…you must tell your encounter with me to the Alliance. Don't kill her…when the time comes…my heart. Will always be with you." she advised before she fade away. The altar suddenly pulled them in and Maha went in first.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAA!" Maha screamed as Aran's pole arm went inside. They could not hold on as the gravity from the altar was too strong.

"KIYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH HHHHHH!" they screamed when they were pulled inside.

* * *

"Ooophffff." they said when they landed in a familiar place. Aran's weapon was next to Lea. Lea's gift from the trio of dragons, the ring broke into pieces.

"Um…looks like I won't be using pole arm any time." Lea remarked.

"Empress? I think someone has landed next to me." a male voice said. Lea almost fell down from the tree due to the unexpected place. Aran chuckled.

_Looks like she transported us to Ereve…what a nice thinking but isn't that a bit too fast?_

Eckhart interrupted her thoughts by jumping down from his favorite tree. The duo had a hunch that he's hating it. They were greeted by Empress Cygnus and later, the super duper annoying tactician, Neinheart. They had to look up to talked to them.

"Where have you been?!" Neinheart barked at the duo. In a blink of an eye, Lea had Lisbeth at his neck, snarling.

"On a quest to find out more." Aran answered at her. She herself was tempted to kill Neinheart regardless of the situation.

"Should I contact the others?" Mihile asked. Neinheart nodded as best as he could with the sword just digging his neck.

"I think not." the duo said at the same time. Aran knocked Neinheart out then looked at Alice, the Transcendence Of Life. Alice looked amused by their actions and even giggling once or twice when she saw Lea desperately trying to escape attention.

'_Too late…' Aran thought._ She found Wolfie, now fully grown and her fur almost white except for the markings. Wolfie sniffed her in interest.

"Ohhh…your scent is almost the same…" Wolfie said with a pout. Aran scratched Wolfie's ears.

"Really? That's great." Lea and Aran said in relief. Wolfie barked with joy.

"Dude! Nice dream message you gave us!" a familiar voice said. The duo zero in towards the direction of the voice and found Dual laughing. Their vein twitched.

"Not my fault." Lea began.

"It's_ her_ fault!" Aran finished. They both knew what she meant by _her_.

'Erika…' they thought at the same time then heave a heavy sigh.

"Nice clothes. *whistles*" Phantom remarked. He got a double slap. Both of his cheeks got red hand marks. Phantom winced.

"See ya!" Lea called out as she gripped something in the air. Vikko, the Dragon of Air came to view. She jumped onto his back, leaving Aran and the others behind.

'_! You must be kidding. You want me to explain?! Half of it I don't even know!' Aran thought furiously._ She gripped her pole arm and swung it at Luminous who stopped it with his shining rod. Their attacks were fast and furious at the next moment.

She sighed again. Then, turned towards her allies and put on a smile.

"Sorry." she said. Luminous hugged her.

"Hahaha. Sorry? I waited a bit too long for ya~" Luminous said. Aran felt her cheeks burning.

"Not a chance!" another voice said. This time, a bit familiar to Aran. Lea was dragged by another person. Vikko was on the ground now, tired due to carrying too much weight.

"HEY!" Lea protested as she was dragged towards the group. Lea was dumped next to Aran, her hat was gone as it was taken by her brother, Jake, who was wearing normal clothes. Jake examined it like nobody's business. Lea swept his legs and he fell down.

"No 'angpow' for you~ No presents for you too~" Jake teased her. Lea put on a 'I-don't-really-care' face. Jake laughed then put on her hat which is a little too small for him. Lea sniggered.

"You can die for all I care!" Lea was screamed by Jake who made a big mistake by taking her hat which revealed her untied hair and long bangs covering part of her eyes. Her hairband was loose so it slipped from her hair to the ground revealing a feminine hairstyle.

"If _he _ saw me like this." Lea began. "I will torture you till the end of your life. GOT IT?" this time, she said it murderously. Jake patted her head in response.

"_He_ won't. I wouldn't want him to date you. Besides, isn't it about you two girls tell your story?" Jake said, half-teasing. Aran and Lea exchanged a glance and reach to a conclusion.

"DIE!" both of them screamed as they charged at Jake.

Jake merely dodged most of their attacks but Lea's and Aran's furious attack was a bit too much for him as in the end of the day, he was worn out.

At first, Luminous thought that he was going insane until he saw the two girls were actually Lea and Aran much to his astonishment. Dual and the others were feeling a bit lost.

"Now…I don't get it." Phantom resisted the urge to face-palm as he surveyed the scene. Lea sheathed her sword then dragged Jake to Mihile and muttered, "Take care of him." Vikko raised his head then grinned at her.

"News reach fast you know." Vikko remarked as he allowed Lea to climb onto him.

"How can you tell?" Lea asked as Vikko took off to the sky. Allowing his wings to catch the wind as he flew to Leafre.

By the time Aran finished telling her strange tale, half-not sure. Alice grimaced when she mention the woman named Erika.

Alice looked at Aran thoughtfully.

"It's not unusual. You see…you do remind me of Erika Nightwalker." Alice explained as she pace up and down. The girls sat in the circle while the boys tried to eavesdrop their conversation as best as they could. Only Cygnus looked worried.

"Shinsoo's health isn't good…I'm worried, Alice." Cygnus said sadly. She glanced at the now sleeping Shinsoo. Aran shrugged then stood up. She glared at Jake who felt like being stab.

"Okay…Lea told me if I need information…she said that I could come to you or Crow…" Aran mused.

"EHHH?! But Lea has the most information!" Jake argued. Aran tapped her foot.

"For now…" Aran said with a smile. "What are your orders, Empress?"

"Avoid trouble…we will hold another meeting in another week. But this time, it will not be in Ereve." Empress Cygnus said. "I don't want to burden Shinsoo with anymore suffering."

She turned towards Jake with some pleading in her eyes.

"Do you have any suitable location that we can hold the meeting in peace?" Cygnus asked. Jake considered her question.

"Maybe. I have to ask Crow and Lea. Then, we will find a place suitable for the meeting. We will try to meet you before the deadline to discuss more about the venue and timing." Jake said with a bow. Then he glanced up at the sky where he lowered his vision to 'magical sight'. He found purple and blue, glowing.

"You ready?" Jake asked someone in particular. Crow finally stepped out from the darkness.

"Damn right. Let's go." Crow said as he offered his hand. Kau, the snow bird landed on Aran's shoulder when she bird whistled. She nudged it.

'Welcome back!' Kau said with delight. Aran smiled again then glanced at her allies.

"Tracking her time~" Aran said with delight. She waved goodbye to her allies as she began to go to Edelstein. Before she could, Luminous grabbed her wrist. They locked eyes with each other then Luminous let go.

"If you're going there. You will have to take me. I have some questions to ask." Luminous stated. Aran nodded knowing he knew her too well.

"Edelstein? You do know its suicide right?" Dual pointed out. Aran made a face at him.

"I don't mind. As long as I keep my hair hidden from view, they won't find out." Aran retorted. "Besides, Lea and I found some very interesting info for the last few days. Especially about Orca."

"What about it?" Dual asked. "I never had any information about her."

"Don't know. But we had a hunch something interesting will happen in Edelstein." Aran answered as she stopped in her tracks. Dual smiled mischievously.

He rubbed his hands with glee. Then he decided not to pester her with more questions.

"Good luck then." Dual said as he did a salute to the two Heroes. They both smile then embark a ship to Victoria Island. Aran and Luminous then filled each others with details.

"The Black Mage has broken his seal. I accepted that but….the weird thing is…he mention something about I'm discarded or something…" Luminous whispered. "Lania was possessed again…even though I had a guardian for her…"

"At least." Aran said as she peck his cheek. "You can balance both light and dark right?" She smiled. Luminous then smiled back and wrap his arms around her waist. They enjoyed every moment together until they reached Edelstein. Immediately, Lea stepped out from a nearby pillar, flipping a dagger between her hands.

"Let's go." Lea said. The duo nodded at her and immediately, Aran had a rag robe on and raised the hood. Lea did not do any of that instead, she went out, knowing that the Black Wings wouldn't know her current identity. Luminous was nervous but he followed the two girls.

After a while, Luminous and Lea pretended to be tourist as they gaze at buildings with awe while Aran acted as a beggar who is over-attach. After a while, they finally managed to find Claudine who was impersonating as a only doctor in Edelstein.

"That's too cruel!" Claudine shouted at them. She recognized them but did a poker face to avoid suspicion.

"Come on!" Lea complained loudly, purposely making a scene. "That _thing_ has been bugging us for a few minutes and kept tugging out clothes!" As if to prove her point, Aran purposely tugged her pants and Lea shook her hand away.

Claudine heaved a huge sigh. She wasn't expecting this.

"Follow me. Including you beggar." Claudine purposely said bitterly. As if to emphasize her point, she climbed the steps and led them to a pipe hole which they gladly slide. As Aran did so, her hood fell down. Fortunately, Claudine was blocking the view and she too, slid down the sewer pipes.

The first impression it made on the trio was it was waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too big. Even in underground.

"WOAH!" they said with awe simultaneously. Claudine smiled and then her clothes changed into the other part of identity.

"Welcome." Claudine began as she put her arms around the two girls.

"LEA!" a familiar voice called and they found a blue-haired girl with jeans and cotton shirt waving her arms at their direction. Lea jumped down and the blue-headed girl was alarmed and she ramp her magic towards Lea.

Lea instead of accepting it, she deflected it with her bare hands. She was super alarmed by the unexpected action from Lea. Lea winked at her.

"NO FIGHTING!" Claudine ordered them. Lea stopped then tensed before jumping to avoid another attack. Not from her friend but from another person. She unsheathed Tryfing and a red mask appeared at her face, covering her mouth and nose and sharpening her sight.

'Left.' Chaos advised and Lea did. She barely dodged that single attack.

"Enough!" Belle shouted at somebody in particular. Valfor was pleased. He used his Demon Fury, first stage on Lea but she dodged it.

"Thank you~" the blue haired girl said as she pulled Lea towards Belle. Lea was dragged all the way and by the time her two friends arrive, Belle was annoyed.

She started lecturing Lea and Valfor. Both of them gave her a loathing look when she did and was annoyed about her way of comparing.

'_What does it have to do with jaguars?'_ _both of them thought._ They were relieved when Belle finished and Luminous and Aran were having a hard time trying to keep a straight face. Lea noticed them then shut them up with a glare. Her mask disappeared when she wasn't fighting.

"By the way…can you sheathe that sword? Looking at it made me uneasy." Belle said. Lea sheathed it then glanced at the blue-haired girl who was positively beaming.

"What now?!" Lea groaned. Maha came out and did that 'who-the-hell-is-this' look at Aran. But Aran merely shrugged and soon enough…

"Please come back to the band!" the girl said in a cheeky tone. Immediately, her cheeks got pulled.

"Wendy!" Lea shouted at her. Wendy winced. She scratched her head in an apologetic way before smiling back.

"I can't and you know why." Lea said gently. Aran nodded in agreement, leaving Luminous, Claudine and Valfor confused.

* * *

**Hey yall! First chapter… I need some reviews and critics for this story. Sorry…what I mention at the end of the 'A New Story' is true. I hope you like it all at least, enjoy it as much as you could. **

**GONG XI FA CAI!**


	2. Chapter 2 Wendy

Claudine gave the trio a tour guide. Wendy followed them and hummed Lea's first song. Lea felt like dunking Wendy's head into a well but resisted the urge. Maha kept 'ooeing' and 'ahhhing' at the mechanical things especially at Wendy's explanation.

"As you can see, this place is connected to the underground." Claudine explained, pointing at numerous doors. She pushed one of them open, revealing a kind of room.

"Simple and classic." Luminous remarked as he took a peek inside. Aran and Lea were already half-dead with boredom from Wendy's explanation. Claudine noticed it and gave them a smile.

"Aran…Lea…what makes you think here will have something big happening?" Claudine asked. Aran and Lea sighed in unison. They had explained many times to Claudine but it never seem to get through her head.

"Hunch." both of them said with a hint of boredom. Lea was ready to strangle Wendy when she started singing out loud, 'Again'.

"Yume no tsuzuki oikakete ita hazu nano ni. Magari kunetta-" she sang but was interrupted by Lea's knock on her head. Lea did a 'shhhh' sound from her lips. Wendy rubbed her head then glared at Lea.

"What was that for?" Wendy asked with a hint of impatience. Lea shook her head.

'_Do you want to die or what?' Lea telepathic to Wendy. _Wendy gave her that confused look.

'_What's so bad about your first song? It's nice. I like it.' Wendy asked._ At this point, Lea cracked her knuckles, signaling if she doesn't shut up, she would get a black eye. Wendy gulped, much to their confusion.

"Okay…I won't sing it." Wendy said softly. Instead of keeping to her word, she started singing even louder. Lea punched her and she flew towards the wall.

"Got problem?" Lea asked sweetly but her hands give her away as they were clenched tightly. Maha sniggered and got a nice slap from Lea who seemed to be the only one who can touched spirit. Aran sighed. It wasn't getting easier as their senses tingle.

Luminous noticed their body tensed.

"Do you think we can hit the sack?" Aran asked Claudine. Claudine smiled then pointed at one of the cabins. "Sure. We will wake you two up if needed."

"Thanks." the two girls said as they pulled Wendy towards one of the nearest cabin.

XXX

Valfor stood at a tall building, keeping out of sight. Mastema in a form of a cat stood next to him. She meowed a bit before jumping down from the building as she caught the scent of blood. Valfor also smelled it as he glided down, following Mastema.

They were in the back alley, breathing in the scent. Little by little the scent became stronger. After a while, they could see some blood smear at the wall.

_The trail shows that the person was dragged. This scent…it's familiar._ Valfor rushed down and found a familiar silhouette. Ignoring the blood, he carried her tenderly as she was bleeding badly.

"Come on." Valfor said to Mastema. She nodded then ran towards the HQ to ask for help. Immediately, Valfor picked up speed, trying not to shake her. Her blood soak his clothes and her breathing was shallow.

"Hold on…" Valfor whispered to her. She desperately tried to breathe and almost close her eyes. Valfor avoid attention as he used hid in the shadows and thankfully the weather was cloudy, suitable for stealth.

XXX

"It has happened." Lea and Aran said in unison. Wendy nodded. She too, is a Dragon Slayer.

"Child of Grandeeney." Lea stated. "Are you sure you are ready? Haven't they found out your secret?"

Wendy shook her head. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Claudine beckon urgently, she looked pale. She led them towards the entrance and pointed at her stomach.

"Pierce." Aran said as she examined it. Wendy took a step back. She wasn't expecting this bad to happen yet.

'_This is what you warned me Lea…5 years ago…' Wendy thought then closed her eyes, taking a deep breath._

'_It's okay. You will do well.' both Aran and Lea reassured her._ Aran and Lea quickly stepped back while Wendy took a step forward against her will.

"Leave me be…" Orca said, coughing up blood. Valfor shook his head. Wendy started chanting unfamiliar only to the people who doesn't learn ancient dragon language.

"Step back." Lea warned those who are now trying to check out the commotion. Her voice carried urgency so they took a few step back. Only Lea and Aran was the nearest to Wendy.

Wendy shouted unexpectedly in ancient dragon language as her hands glowed with bright blue light. She put her hands around Orca's injury and it healed within moments. Wendy stood up unsteadily, pale from the attempt.

"Hold up." Lea warned. "It's not over." she added as she lowers her vision to 'magical sight'. The aura around Orca dimmed a little which Lea took it as not good.

"I can't…wait…" Wendy muttered as she bends down next to Orca again. This time Aran pulled her back, shaking her head. Then, she pointed at Orca.

"Look. It's healing." Aran pointed out as she glanced at Lea. She knew in her heart that Lea was right but using 'Sky Magic' also known as Lost Magic, Healing Magic, is taxing especially those who don't have high mana like Lea.

Lea did an unexpected thing,she hold hands with Wendy and pass some of her mana to her. A magic circle appeared.

'_Are you sure?' Aran asked Lea. _Lea nodded before proceeding to passing her mana.

'_I feel…stronger….why is that so?' Wendy thought._

'_Because…I am giving you some of it…by tomorrow, it would be gone. Use it on her. By the way, don't ask any questions yet. You have to race against time.' Lea explained hastily._ She fell into Aran's arm. Sweating and panting.

'_Be careful, you just gave her about one tenth of your power.' Chaos warned. Order nodded._

'_Even that, is enough, to make you like this.' Order chided._

'_You are my host, never forget, time is your key and time is your life.' Talos unexpected stated, after three months of silence. Lea was silent. She looked at the dragons gratefully. She put on the playful smile._

'_I won't next time.' Lea said before turning her back on them._

Wendy's hand glowed bright blue again.

"You must live." Wendy whispered as she inserted her magic into Orca's soul this time.

XXX

"_Who's this?" Orca asked, she was in a dark place, wearing her black wings clothes. She looked around fearfully for the past few minutes. The last thing she remembered was her being tossed to the back alley of Edelstein. Left to die from loss of blood. Then, she remembered a person came to save her and…_

"_Where am I?" Orca asked._

"_My name is Orcid…for the present time it's Orca…" Orcid mumbled. "Maybe I should use back my old name…"_

'_!'_

"_Lotus! Where are you?" Orcid cried out in despair. Then, she remembered…Lotus is on Gelimer's side now. Alive but…a body without soul. She cried._

"_You must live…" a voice said with conviction. A bright blue light suddenly appear, lighting the area._

_Orcid closed her eyes. She accepted the light as she outstretched her hands and pulling it closer to her. She accepted her sins and now she must begin a new life._

_XXX_

Orcid finally lost conscious and is still breathing. Wendy collapsed to the floor, only to be pick up by Black Jack.

As she glanced at the Resistance, she asked, "Who is carrying her back?" Immediately, all of them ran away except for her, Aran and Luminous. Valfor was napping and woke up due to the noise. He stretched his wings.

"I will." Valfor volunteered. Mastema stared at him, feeling jealous within a second. Mastema then jumped onto Lea's lap, giving Orca a loathing look. Valfor started feeling guilty as he picked Orcid up and dropped her into an empty cabin with deluxe bed. Valfor quickly closed the door, avoiding Mastema's accusing look.

Lea and Aran ran towards the cabin, leaving Wendy and Luminous alone.

'Oi! Are you trying to babysit this young Dragon Slayer?!' Luminous thought furiously. But they already had left.

XXX

As they watched Orca, they slept after several hours. Luminous smiled at them as he passed by their room. Orcid, who was once his enemy will need their help.

He went towards the training room, greeting Valfor on the way.

Before he could enter, Valfor grabbed his shoulder, halting him. Both of them exchanged a glance, their weapons ready.

"You go in first." Luminous invited. Valfor grinned at him.

"No…you go in first." Valfor said politely, keeping sarcasm out of his voice .

'Oh, just go in already!' Lea's voice shouted at both of them. They were startled then stared at the door where the trio of girls are. Wendy spotted them then grinned at them, waving 'hi' and surprisingly healthy.

XXX

"Wait…so you're basically saying that the Black Mage is released?" Lea asked, trying to keep fear out of her voice. His scent is like rotted corpse. Aran nodded.

"Looks like it. So…how are you going to find a perfect or suitable place for the meeting." Aran asked, interlacing her fingers. Lea tapped her forehead.

"If we have no choice, then we would do it in Ellinia." Lea confided. Besides, I don't mind as the you know….the energy over there is very pure and if there is a whisper of darkness, I can quickly ask them to keep quiet. Jake and Crow would be helping."

"Aren't we suppose to be sleeping?" Aran grumbled. Lea put her fingers to her own lips, signaling that she should be quiet.

"_Hold up." Wendy whispered._ _"I've new information."_

"_What?" Lea and Aran grumbled again. _

"_It's about the Black Mage. If I am not mistaken, his first priority is finding another few more generals to take part of his power."_

"_Duh!" Lea said as she roll her eyes. _

"_You know it yourself. And butt off for a while Aran. I will fill you guys in the meeting." Lea said a bit coldly this time. _Aran sighed.

"Really?" Aran muttered. Wendy opened the door then shut it with a click.

"Okay." Aran mumbled to herself, folding her arms. "What's going on?"

Instead of answering, Wendy muttered as she raised her hand towards Aran. She spoke a single word, Sleep. Aran felt her eyes heavy and was unable to resist and slumped back to the chair.

"God." Lea remarked. "Look. I need most of the information dealer around Maple World to come for a single meeting." She glanced at Wendy, "Can you do that?"

"I will try. Does it includes me?" Wendy said her eyes widen. Lea nodded.

"But first thing first. We need to find a suitable place which is enough to hold about a 1000 people. Rising One won't do it."

"Okay."

"This is my proposal. Crow, Jake and I will find a suitable place in Ellinia. Partly because of magic and partly because it reduces our chances of being overheard."

"Okay. But most of the information dealer…have you check the rankings yet?"

Lea shook her head.

"You are first in the ranking. I'm only about 10th."

"I don't care."

Wendy clapped her hands.

"It's decided. This will be the first time since the ancient times-"

"You're exaggerating already."

"But…"

"That's because that idiot organize it. Remember?"

"ummmhmph"

"Then?"

"Okay. Okay. For now. How is she? Did I do a good job? I fainted right?" Wendy said hastily, changing the subject. Lea raised her eyebrows. She wasn't convince that Wendy had fully drop the subject.

"Yeah…but can you let me sleep? Today it's an exhausting day." Lea said before releasing a huge yawn and slept like a pig.

XXX

*Clang*

*Bash*

*Roar*

"Noisy." One of the newbies said. "They are taking all the nice targets…"

"Yeah. I mean…they are battle maniacs."

"What the HELL?!" Luminous swore. He just got hit multiple times, the hard way. Valfor flapped his wings, allowing him to fly for a few minutes. He laughed cruelly.

"Ready to forfeit?" Valfor asked, chuckling to himself. Luminous's red eye glowed, only a few people could see the flame.

"Your wish." Luminous said, not caring whether his injuring his allies. "Moonlight Spear!"

Several spears shot out from the ground, all black and purple in colour. They followed Valfor into the skies making him weaving in and out. Valfor grinned at this challenge, noting that his clothes changed slowly to black and his orb, half black and half white.

'_Hmm? Looks like this hero will be worth sparing after all.' Valfor thought as he twist the air around him._ He has done the impossible. Luminous was serious now. Spears after spears still shot out from the ground, allowing Valfor to be cautious, both air and land. He managed not to scream like a girl when Luminous chuckled and shot a few light spells at him.

"Yes!" Luminous shouted as he punched the air. Valfor glared at him then glared at the spectators who shrink physically under his glare. They edged to the exit and ran like hell was chasing them. Valfor was chasing them in the next moment with the intent to kill them or at least torture them.

They made a lot of ruckus and fortunately for the two spectators, they were both 'Wild Hunters'.

"Run!" one of them screamed. The other glared at him before shouting back, "I'm TRYING!"

"mitometeita okubyou na kako wakaranai mama ni

kowagatteita ushiro no jibun ga gen i tsu o

ima ni utsusu"

"Did you hear that?" his partner said, his golden brown jaguar snarled. Valfor stopped, listening to the song. Somehow, he felt peace just from listening to the song. When Luminous came out, he smiled, recognizing the song. It was the same one as Lea's last year, her last concert before leaving the band.

Wendy came out, singing the song. Luminous, Valfor and the other two 'Wild Hunters' were stunned. They hadn't expect Wendy to be singing this song and in another accent and language.

"What THE FUCK!" one of the 'Wild Hunter' said. His eyes sparkled. He quickly took out his notebook and pen. He quickly run towards Wendy screaming, "AUTOGRAPH!"

Wendy was startled so she faltered. She signed it. When that 'Wild Hunter' saw her signature, his jaw dropped much to their amazement.

"You are Lisa?! But I thought you are just Wendy?!" that guy stated. Wendy nodded sweetly.

"Lisa is just for Japanese as you know the Mushroom Shrine. In English, like you know that I was born here, is Wendy Hetialia." she explained.

"What about your friend over there?" that guy asked, positively not backing down as two of his stars may be nearby, one is Wendy the other could be Lea.

"Yui. That's Lea's Japanese name." Wendy said, grinning. He screamed like a fan girl.

"AUTOGRAPH!" he shouted top of his lungs. Then he went to the HQ and shouted, "YUI AND LISA ARE HERE! IN OUR OWN HQ!"

"WHAT?!~" most of them screamed. "YOU'RE JOKING!"

"NO, I'm not!" that guy said truthfully. Luminous looked at Valfor for explanation but he was just as confuse as he is. In the next moment, they have to back away from the stairs. They hugged the walls.

"What was that for?" Luminous shouted over the noise.

"I DON'T KNOW!" Valfor retorted, avoiding one of the girls.

XXX

"Wendy...I'm so gonna kill you..." Lea said murderously. She had heard that commotion and was already having a pounding headache from both dragons and her fans alike. She kept grumbling until Wendy put her head meekly inside.

Orchid woke up without their knowledge. What she saw doesn't make any sense so she just passed out.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the late update. Right now I have to share this laptop with my family. Please forgive me if the story is too short and UNINTERESTING.**


	3. Chapter 3 Invitation

Lea's head pound even worse. Finally she stepped outside, throwing multiple both light and dark magic with her swords.

_'You're wasting your energy.' Talos grumbled._

_'Shut up! I don't care. I just want to get this over with.' Lea said murderously. Chaos laughed._

_'A little chaos within order? Now that's what I call very smart.' Chaos managed before laughing a little harder. Lea glared at him._

"Value your life? SCRAM!" Lea shouted at them. Most of them ran away while the few braves one still beg for their autograph. But when they got closer, Lea's body moved by it's own. Her mind was blank.

In the next moment, she had two swords at one of the unlucky fans' neck. She cut his neck, deep enough to draw blood and sending message through her fans. Her eyes, also showing no life, as if a puppet. Aran had to pulled her back in order to release her. She screamed before teleporting away. Lea's shoulder slumped with burden and her eyes, weary because of a single thing. For a moment, she spotted a boy with the same similarities with Valfor.

_'Who's that? He seemed so familiar...' Lea thought before her vision went black._

Orchid woke up for the second time. This time, she felt better, no longer dreading or fearing anybody. But what surprised her was Wendy. Wendy was humming a song to herself and Orchid listened despite herself.

"You're awake!" Wendy exclaimed. She handed Orchid a glass of water which she drank greedily.

Aran kicked the door open, carrying Lea on her back. She dumped Lea into an empty chair. Valfor whistled when he came in.

"Wicked." Valfor remarked. Immediately, Aran punched him. He flew towards the wall.

"It's not funny." Aran snapped. "Her mind went blank. Perfect blank."

This time, Orchid was surprise. She regarded Lea with new interest.

"That's almost impossible. You know that." Orchid pointed out. "And besides, you know that to achieve perfect blank, one need a lot of practice."

"And you sounded like an old sage." Lea muttered, opening one eye. Orchid felt like slapping her already but because of her condition, she wasn't able to do it. Not only that, Wendy pushed her down to prevent any more damage.

XXX

_'Who are you?' Lea asked herself._ _She was surprised when she had an answer almost immediately._

_'My name is Damien.' a voice replied. It sent chills to her spine as that was the exact name Dual said to her._

_'Are you an illusion?'_

_'No. I came here in my master's order.'_

_'The Black Mage?'_

_'Yes.'_

_'Leave me alone!'_

_'I'm afraid I can't do that. Let me explained our proposal. If you accept to be his disciple, you will be able to control the dark mana inside you.' _Lea was tempted. The dark mana, she had it under control for so many years is threatening to tear her apart. She didn't tell Dual nor Aran, her closest friends about this.

_'We will give you about a month to decide. Meet me at Leafre, the outskirts of Leafre and...where the Blood Harp are.'_ Lea felt a sharp pain at her hands. Order and Chaos are against about this. Lea pretended that she was still sleeping so they wouldn't suspect anything was wrong.

XXX

"Master. I'm afraid our plan isn't working." Damien reported to his master, who was on a throne, an empty throne in the ruins where the Transcendences lived.

The Black Mage laughed cruelly.

"It will work. I know Erika Nightwalker inside out. I also know that Aran and Lea are the soul descendant of Erika Nightwalker." The Black Mage reassured Damien, his newest and best commander.

"Remember...the curse of the host of Talos. I appreciate her bloodline and more...I appreciate her parents. Amusing. She has the blood from her father instead of her mother but have some attributes from both of her parents."

"But master..."

"SILENCE!" The Black Mage snapped. "It will work. If it doesn't...well...she won't last long after all. She walked in a fine line of light and dark."

XXX

_"You know that if you accept. THEY WILL BE BETRAYED." Order argued. Chaos laughed again._

_"If she accept my dear sister, it will be fun." Chaos stated. Talos and Order joined forces to scratch him._

_"If she accepts without their knowledge. Think. Think! What will happen to Dual. What will happen to the Alliance and her family?!" Talos screamed at Chaos's face. He looked calmly at his siblings._

_"Do not worry." Chaos said. Turning towards Lea, "Right?" Lea nodded._

_"I will explained in the meeting and discuss with them about this. If they don't allow then I have to obey." Lea said, unsure whether Chaos was just watching her suffering. She smirked at Chaos who was wincing under the attack from his siblings._

_"But...if that happens. Your body may not be able to take it." Talos said with a whimper. Lea immediately felt guilty and patted Talos on the head. She smiled bravely at them._

_"If that happens then..." Lea trailed off. She knew that the dragons would not be reassure, so as her family especially Jake who was trying his very best to prevent Lea's dark mana to leak._

_"It's time to wake up dude~" Order said coolly. Lea nodded._

XXX

"Can we play now?" Wendy asked Aran for permission who has no idea what was going on at the moment. Aran put on a confuse face.

"What?" Aran asked. Valfor sniggered again. Orchid had to put on a poker face because she knew that the moment Aran saw her face, she would know her confuse thoughts. Aran then glanced at Lea who was starting to stir from her sleep.

"Are you sleeping?" Luminous asked. Lea immediately kick his leg.

"Nah. I'm just planking." Lea answered sarcastically. Luminous chuckled, his red eye glowing again and waving his staff threateningly at Lea.

_'Her hands...she's trembling.' Aran thought._ Lea felt something else inside her. The same one since 5 months ago. She put her head in her hands much to their amazement.

_'Too weak...I can't control it.' Lea thought. Chaos looked at her, shaking his head._

_'Do not despair yet. There's chance for you. We should ask Jake and Dual in the meeting.' Order stated. _

_'Enough. I don't want to drag the heroes into this. Luminous have his own problem. So does Evan, Mercedes and Aran. As for Phantom, I don't know. He may show emotions but his heart is in turmoil. He have gotten over Aria's death but not Freud's.' Lea shouted at them. Talos snarled at Lea._

_'Very well. I will support you but if you accept his invitation. I will personally fight you for the control.' Talos stated before putting his head down, sulking._

"Yui~" Wendy said. Lea stared daggers with her and Wendy sensed that her murderous aura was rising. Lea stood up, cracking her knuckles then grabbed 'Lisbeth' from her back. She wave it around.

_'That's wayyyyyyyyyyyyy to serious.' all of them thought._ Wendy jumped in glee.

"YEAH!" Wendy cheered as she examined Lea's 'Lisbeth. Wendy smiled.

"Oooooooooooo...this is nice. Metals fuse together. Wait...maybe not." Wendy stated. Checking from top to bottom except for the edge. "Materials." she said as she put two fingers on the flat of the blade. She released part of her magic in it. 'Lisbeth' glowed brightly.

She looked at Lea with amazement.

"THAT'S FREAKING COOL!" the boys cried out. Orchid can accept when Valfor said that but when Luminous said that, it has taken her out by surprise. Her head hit against the wall.

"Ouch!" Orchid cried out. Wendy looked at 'Lisbeth' with new interest.

"Those materials aren't from this world. Where did you get it?!" Wendy said. Lea did a face-palm.

"I don't know. So far, I know the hilt are made of dragon scales, meaning. 'Lisbeth' may be one of the ancient blades for Dragon Slayer but when a human used it. Boom! The human will incinerate to ashes unless it is 'Lisbeth''s intent to guide him or her." Lea said hastily. Wendy nodded in agreement, putting on a fake beard and stroking it. Lea wanted to pull it off and scream at her, 'STOP JOKING AROUND!'

Orchid started to laugh, a true laugh since so long ago.

_'She laughed too damn hard.' Lea thought, smirking._ Lea gave Aran a typical signal, 'Tickle time.' Aran chuckled to herself before both Lea and her edge towards Orchid who suddenly fear them. Luminous, Wendy and Valfor had to run for their lives much to their disbelief.

Instead of running back to the top, they ran further down. Stairs after stairs and jumping down in desperation.

XXX

**Few hours later...**

"What da'ya mean we are lost?!" Valfor and Luminous shouted at Wendy. Wendy squirmed under their two accusing stares.

"It's not my fault!" Wendy protested earning a two rubbing heads painfully together from both boys. Wendy cried like a little kid.

Her true age is just 12.

_'Don't bully me~' Wendy screamed in her heart. 'Save me!'_

Lucky for them, Claudine had went to the deepest part of the underground to look for more documents. She heard a familiar voice crying out loud while another was screaming while another was wailing. Claudine just took out her earplug and put it on, whistling to herself. Taking out a flash light, she switched it on and found multiple of cardboard boxes around her, some sealed or opened or torn off. She sighed.

Taking one of the cardboard boxes out, she began searching for a specific report about the Heroes and the trio of siblings. Even she knew that it wasn't a coincidence that they are famous.

She remembered that fate can be cruel as it have taken her childhood friend away, her charming prince. She still could remember the whole thing as if it just happen yesterday.

"Gelimer..." she said murderously. That single name was enough to bring destruction to Edelstein. She sighed, the paper she wanted wasn't found yet. She looked at her watch which was showing, '10:23 p.m'.

_'Ulrika will be worried. I better get home before she got into trouble again. Without Wendy or any of my allies, I wouldn't have know what would happen.' Claudine thought painfully._ She dropped the documents then switched of the light. Before she even went up, she went towards the direction of the wailing, screaming and crying.

She switched on the light leading to the stairs and found Wendy being shouted. Valfor and Luminous were taking out their frustration on Wendy using verbal only. They weren't doing anything bad except lowering her self-esteem. Claudine stomp towards them and gave them a tight slap each. Immediately Wendy whimpered, looking super depress. Claudine gave the two boys a good kick and a lot of complaining and lectures on the way up. In the end of it, Wendy was just being Wendy. A drama queen.

*Baam*

Wendy looked at the two boys innocently, smirking. She crack her knuckles and began to suck the air around them.

"ROAR OF THE SKY DRAGON!" she shouted as she exhaled. Valfor and Luminous took some serious damage. Lea and Aran merely dodged them.

"Too bad." Lea remarked, giving Valfor a kick on his blind spot, injuring her left leg in the progress. Wendy smiled evilly, another side of her was shown. She didn't need to use her staff to do it. Her blue hair has two ribbon which made her hairstyle into two pigtails. It wasn't there before but there it was.

"Okay...now what do we do?" Aran asked. Lea and Orchid stared at her.

"Okay." Aran said, passing Orchid a packet of potato chips. She ripped it open and stuffed it into her mouth in a unladylike gesture. Under Valfor's and Mastema's accusing look, she glared at Mastema then at Valfor before continuing to munch. Aran started thinking of skills that will exceed her current level.

_'Kau can help me in this. So as Maha_.' _Aran thought. _Maha came out, raising an eyebrow and tossing his ponytail uselessly at Aran.

"AM NOT!" Maha shouted. Aran looked at him menacingly that Lea and Orchid avoided her line of sight.

"Um..." Orchid began.

"Bye." Lea said, limping away from the duo. Orchid stumbled after her. Lea stopped for a while, allowing Orchid to lean against her for support.

"Thanks." Orchid mumbled. Lea grinned before leading her towards her cabin and lay her down on the bed.

Orchid opened her mouth to apologize but Lea cut her off.

"It's okay. I'm not the type to hold grudges that long." Lea said before closing the door behind her, allowing Orchid to question her own actions.

XXX

They are still having their shouting match.

"COME ON! I'm just your typical battle partner." Maha argued. Aran's vein twitched. Wendy and the others have went back to the surface and back to their respective homes to sleep.

"Typical." Lea remarked. "It's already dead midnight and you are still arguing." Aran's eyes glint mischievously.

"Well..." Aran began as she tucked her arms in. "As you can see...both me and Maha have to work together to break past that wall."

"True." Lea said with a nod.

"See?" Aran said turning towards Maha, waving her hand. Maha sighed, continue to argue for another 16 hours.

XXX

"And they still haven't settle it yet." Lea said. Wendy, Valfor and Luminous nodded in unison. Lea tried to stop them from arguing even more but much to their embarrassment, they refuse to back down.

"And so. We are so officially pissed." Wendy said. "Shall I shut them up?"

"PLEASE DO!" the trio answered immediately. Wendy made a spilt second decision. For a girl, she could be very persuasive which made her top ten in the info dealer ranking.

"Excuse me." Wendy said as she approached to another one of her friends.

"What is it?" one of the girls asked. She grinned at Wendy.

"Hetia. Please help me to pull that ridiculous spirit away." Wendy said bluntly.

"Oh?" Hetia said with a grinned. "Interesting. But you are helping me on this."

"Yes." Wendy answered. Together Hetia and Wendy went towards Maha and Aran, who surprisingly is still awake and arguing.

"One. Two." Wendy said, preparing to run.

"THREE!" Hetia shouted, attracting lots of attention. They lunged at Maha, pulling him by the ponytail much to many people (including Lea and Aran) disbelief. Maha screamed like a girl for the whole time. Being toss around like a cocktail wasn't his first option nor his first punishment from the two girls.

"Let's go~" Wendy cheered. Aran grinned at them then smiled to herself, amuse by the sudden outcome.

_'I'm tired.' Aran realized. _She went back to her cabin and hit the sack. She tried to sleep but her mind has different ideas.

_"Something wrong is with Lea. I shared mind with her once so I should be able to tell. Her dark mana is getting worse. Even the dragons told us before that once the Black Mage is released...' Aran thought. Then, she realized something else. _

_'Oh shit!' Aran cussed. 'Maha. This is bad...'_

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the short chapter. Enjoy. **


	4. Chapter 4 Dark, Berserk, Magatia

"Hetia!" Belle screamed. Black Jack leaped out of his box and snarled at the trio who froze at the commanding tone of Belle. Something inside Lea was going to snap. The familiar sensation for Lea.

_'Not now...' Lea thought desperately. _

_"Concentrate, Lea." a familiar voice told her._

XXX

Aran jumped out of the bed, not a moment to soon and rushed towards Lea. Maha is in a never ceasing scream at least. For a moment.

"YAAAAAAAH!" Maha screamed as he sailed over the air, knocking the wind out of himself. He went back to Aran's weapon. But Aran had no time to celebrate for this as she lunged towards Lea. Rubbing her head.

"HEY!" Lea protested, wrestling out from her grip. Valfor was ignoring them, talking to Mastema. Lea could barely control her dark mana now.

"Let me go!" Lea said before biting Aran's hand. Aran was pissed off.

"You're dead." Aran stated before throwing her up into the air. Lea quickly unsheathed 'Tyrfing' in mid air. She was deadly serious when she managed to twist her body, her sword pointing the ground. She wasn't holding back therefore..._  
_

"HOLD IT BACK WILL YA?!" Wendy shouted, her skirt dancing with the wind all of the sudden. Lea wasn't listening anymore, she was letting her dark mana flow with no boundaries. She waved 'Tyrfing' over her head before swing it into an arc towards Aran. Aran quickly grabbed her weapon before deflecting it as best as she could towards Lea.

Bleeding, she ignored her injuries, swinging her pole arm furiously at Lea. Trying her best to avoid Lea's dark attack. She also saw something else. A silhouette of a person.

_'What?'_ _Aran thought._ She was pushed back by Lea. When she got a closer look on Lea, she winced. Her eyes were in a darker shade of black and she knew it.

"Snap out of it!" Aran shouted whacking her with the flat of her pole arm like a baseball bat. Before it even hit her, Lea put a well place kick, knocking the wind out of Aran. Aran slammed against the wall. She wiped her mouth quickly before lunging towards Lea again who was on the floor. The surrounding around Lea was turning purple.

She merely hit her with the hilt and again, Aran was thrown towards the wall. Luminous took out his staff now, no longer doubting that Lea was in control. Lea raised her eyebrows, feeling a sharp pain at her head. Subconsciously, she touched her hand which was bruised.

_'Go wild.' a familiar voice said._ Against her will, she raised her sword again.

"Tornado Dash!" she shouted, in a blink of an eye, she was behind Aran. Aran had a huge wound at her stomach. She coughed up blood. Alarm, Luminous immediately point his staff towards Aran, green beam of light shot out from his staff and flowed towards Aran, healing her injuries in seconds. Aran grimaced.

"Thanks." Aran said, wiping traces of blood from her mouth. She smiled, flinging the blood away.

"Hello? Calm down! YOU STUPID LITTLE SIS AND A LITTLE BRAT AND-" a familiar voice screamed but was interrupted by Black Jack. Jake tumbled down, surprisingly the dark mana wasn't affecting him. He casually whack Lea on the head speaking a single word.

"Calm." he said solemnly. Immediately, a dragon symbol appeared on top of Lea's head. Lea looked up with a confuse look. Aran grabbed the symbol. Lea then snatched it away and ate it.

"Yummy." she remarked, her eyes went back to normal again. Jake double over as if he was going to vomit.

"Oi. That's not for eating!" Jake said as he rolled his eyes. Lea sheathed 'Tryfing' before kicking him at the head.

"Well. It's too bad." Lea retorted, staring at the shadows. She was very sure that Damien was in the HQ.

"Tell me all about it." Aran said, confusing everybody in the HQ except for Jake. They both steered Lea towards a private room with Luminous and Valfor, following them nervously. After seeing the two girls fight, their opinions about them have change drastically especially in combat.

_'Battle maniacs...' Luminous thought._ Aran glared at him.

_'Oh? Like you guys aren't!' Aran telepathic to both Luminous and Valfor. _Luminous felt another meaning to her words. Valfor tapped his shoulders once they were in the room where Lea was still daze and having a certain side effect from eating Jake's magic. She started turning pink then back to her own skin colour. She gave Jake a tight-slap.

"YEOUCH!" Jake screamed. His cheek looked suspiciously like a slap mark and it was burning. Aran, Valfor and Luminous laughed at him. Luminous gave him a look of pity but burst into laughter again. Jake's vein twitched. Lea stumbled a bit now having another one of the side effect. Her sense of balance, disorientated. Fortunately for them she was sitting on a chair.

"Mana overloaded." Jake remarked smoothly. He earned another punch from Aran who understood it and knew it wasn't nice as she had one before.

"If you know that." Lea groaned. "Why didn't you warn me earlier?!"

"Because if I did, you probably won't calm down and reel in your dark mana you dimwit!" Jake pointed out. Another slap for him.

"HEY!" Jake protested again. Lea was too busy with her own side effect from eating Jake's magic to bother with them. Because of that, Luminous, Valfor and Jake were having a full fledge battle royal. Lea squinted a bit then...Jake accidentally hit her.

Lea and Aran grabbed one of his wrist and flung him towards the other duo. Jake was screaming, "AHHHHH!" when he hit the ceiling. Valfor and Luminous used the momentum to change the direction of his turning, thus, making him stuck at the ceiling for the next few minutes before falling to the ground.

After a while, Lea became fine. She rubbed Jake's arm for luck.

"Please stop it." Jake groaned. He gently pushed Lea away and began rubbing her forehead, silently willing her not to berserk for a while.

"I feel better a bit now." Lea said. She smirked at Luminous.

"In a kind of same way except it was damn annoying. I can't reel in my dark mana anymore and it is still getting stronger." Lea said as she scratched her head. "Again, if I wasn't mistaken. The voice that was egging me on was Damien's." As she predicted, Valfor's expression darken even more. She gave them a moment to file the information before continuing, "Not only that. They also-"

Chaos mentally shut her mouth up.

"MMMPH!" Lea said, trying to speak. Alarmed by the sudden silence by Lea, Aran tried to pry her mouth open. Lea keep 'mmphing' and 'hmmmphing' until Chaos let go of her mouth.

"Buargh!" Lea said as she gasped. Luminous and Valfor did a face palm.

"As you're saying?" Jake said calmly and coolly. Lea gave him a look of loathing. She opened her mouth again and this time Talos closed it.

_'WILL YOU GUYS GIVE ME A CHANCE TO EXPLAIN?!' Lea screamed at the trio of dragons._ Jake and Aran was amused by the sudden turns of event. Jake finally sighed.

_'What do we do, Guwar?' Jake asked. His dragon chuckled._

_"Easy. Let's just...use 'that'." Guwar suggested mischievously._

_"It's not complete."_

_"Do your best then."_

Jake banged his fists together. For a moment, he eyes glow brightly.

"Blazing sword of the Holy Dragon!" Jake shouted as he gripped the air and a blinding light appear in his hand.

"Double sword." Jake begun. He slashed just a few inches from Lea's mouth.

"Broken Seal." Jake ended. It was only for that and if needed, cut of Lea's dark mana. Lea massaged her throat.

"Thanks. The dragons are not really willing to share this information and I don't know why." Lea begun. Aran coughed.

"What?" Lea demanded. "Argh. Never mind. As I was saying, they gave me a month to consider their invitation. But it has a catch. I have to be his disciple." Luminous whistled.

"Woah, woah, woah. His disciple? Why?" Valfor said.

"Hmmph. Easy. Because her dark mana is a rival against the Black Mage himself." Aran explained. Valfor coughed.

"If that is so then I would have sense it earlier." Valfor retorted.

"Really? Orcid did." Lea stated. Valfor was stunned.

"For four- wait. No. Fifteen." Lea said. Jake nodded.

"That's why it was so tiresome trying to erase your traces of dark mana. Even though your recent let's see out-of-control-way it is better than the others." Jake continued.

"Well. You flatter me." Lea said with a grin. "I can control a bit with the swords without them you guys are already in deep-shit."

"But...it's not totally in control yet right?" Luminous asked rather nervously. For an adult, he was surprisingly a bit childish. Valfor coughed again.

"Duh, I can control mine because I'm a hanyou in their term but in English, it's half-demon." Valfor said. Lea and Aran rolled their eyes.

"Yeah. Yeah." they said in unison. They high-five each other while Lea was getting a nice lecture from Talos who was extremely furious by her actions.

"Blah-Blah-Blah." Lea said loudly as they went back to the main entrance where they found Claudine was hung up upside down. The instructors for the Resistance were arguing with each other which caused Claudine to be hung upside down from one of the 'Battle Mage' student to hung her by chains. When Claudine spotted them, she screamed, "HELP ME DOWN!"

Lea scratched her head. So does Jake.

"You do it." Lea said as she thumped his back. Jake sighed, summoning his staff which was different from the others. Then, unexpectedly, he threw it towards Claudine which it hit her head.

Lea's eyes widen with shock.

Everybody over there did a face-palm except for Jake. He looked at the situation calmly then scratched his chin.

"Speaking of which...why the heck are you doing?!" Lea screamed at him. Aran and Jake glanced around then stared at Lea. They can feel the corner of their mouth tugging. Before any of them could do anything, Lea gasped in surprise. Aran looked at her direction and her jaw drop open.

Again. The same two figures which they saw back at Lumiere was there.

"Oh, hey gran-" Jake said but was interrupted by Claudine's groaning.

"I'm gonna be sick." Claudine warned. Slowly but surely, her face was turning green and it was not _good_._  
_

"Forget it." Lea and Aran said, both tucking their arms in the same tempo. Jake summoned his staff again which had dropped out of his sight. Again, he threw the staff and again it hit Claudine's head. For the unlucky members of the Resistance who were underneath Claudine was splattered by her vomit, mix with a bit of her blood.

"Boost." Aran said. Luminous and Lea at the same time, grabbed one of her arms and swung her toward one of the linking chains. As fast as she could, she managed to climbed towards Claudine. Aran winced, her hand was raw red from climbing these chains without precaution.

Lea kicked Jake.

"What was-" Jake begun. His arm accidentally hit one of the switches. "that for?"

Aran and Claudine had a fright for their lives as they fell down. Fortunately for them, they were safe. Unfortunately for Jake, he has to run for his life, thus, making him forget to tell Lea an important thing. Lea sat down, closing her eyes and listening to Jake's 'ahhing' from the duo poking and stabbing with their weapons.

"Help me~!" Jake wailed.

XXX

"It isn't working, Ven." Baru said. Ven looked at him coldly. After 3 months, he has grown bigger and his fur in the same colour as Aran's hair. The mark on his forehead was showing clearly.

Somebody sighed.

"Look. Baru. It isn't easy and there's no such thing as an easy journey." the boy Aran said. He stared at Baru with such fierce look that Baru winced. Baru sighed and gripped his pole arm. As the Dark Knight, he wasn't easily taken down. Baru's hair turned back to brown again. His eyes, no longer blue like Aran but hazel.

"Let's try this again. Meditate-" Aran said.

"I KNOW!" Baru snapped. He sat down again, trying to meditate but his darker side was having another thoughts. Baru clenched his fist, willing his thoughts to be quiet.

_'As expected.' Aran thought. _He sighed then kicked Baru at the face. Baru rubbed his cheek painfully. Aran offered him his hand but Baru slapped it away.

"Never mind. Kau has already told us the next meeting. Unfortunately, even though you are back into your own body... a month ago..." Baru begun but was silence by Aran. He looked at the moon which was now rising.

"We have to continue. First stop, Magatia." Aran said, grinning.

* * *

**A/N: So sleepy...**


	5. Chapter 5 Nura Rikuo

**A/N: Disclaimer, I do not own MapleStory. Previous chapter, the song was sang by Lisa, Crossing Fields (I DO NOT OWN THIS SONG)**

* * *

Jake sneezed. They were still at the HQ at the main hall.

Lea was already annoyed while Aran slept soundly. To ensure that Aran won't have any disturbance, Lea personally made a barrier around Aran.

"I can't believe. That. You. Forgot. To. Tell. Me. THAT!" Lea screamed at Jake who raised his hands to surrender. Jake had a scar on his cheek.

"For your information, I saw them. I talked to them. They asked me. I asked them. I answered and they answer too." Jake said cheerily. Lea punched him but it missed. Orchid was on the chair, sipping some fruit juice. She is on her third one.

Orchid raised her eyebrows with confusion and amusement as the two siblings started hitting each other. Even by watching them, she knew that they were close.

_'Like I was with Lotus.' she thought sadly. _Luminous and Valfor were no longer on the terms of enemies but rather friends. They started talking on certain things and occasionally, the girls around them who were checking them out will run away. Orchid raised her eyebrows again before taking another fruit juice. Wendy was rocking out in her cabin with Hetia. Earlier, they asked Aran whether she wanted to play on electric guitar but she declined.

XXX

**Flashback...30 minutes ago.**

_"It's okay. I just need to rest and besides, somebody has to take of Jake's injuries." Lea said. Jake came crashing down from the stairs._

_"Or maybe not." Lea added, her eyes twitched. Wendy and Hetia laughed._

_"Fine." Wendy said as she ran towards her cabin. "See you."_

XXX

**Present**

"Let's see..." Lea said as she put out her hand to count. "One. You are stupid. Two. You are an idiot. Three. You are a doofus. Four. You love to make list. And last but not least, you and Crow are just my brothers."

Jake laughed as Lea bandaged his arm into a sling.

_'Now that was weird. She just made a list and two of them are more or less the same.' Orchid thought as she picked up a storybook. _

"By the way, have you find where is it?" Jake asked unexpectedly. Lea snapped his wrist. Jake winced painfully.

"No. If needed. We have to use the treehouse." Lea said as she gave Aran a glance. Jake coughed.

"Well. You do know that it is risky to gather all information dealer at one place right?" Jake pointed out.

"Well. Duh. But no problemo. We have no choice. Got that?"

"Okay. But if they-" Jake was interrupted by Lea's punch at his face. His nose was bleeding and soaking his third T-shirt for the day.

"How many shirts I have to change?" Jake complained. Claudine, Lea and Orchid glared at him.

"As many times as it takes." the trio said simultaneously. Jake can feel their murderous aura. So does the others in the HQ.

Jake gulped and shut his mouth for good.

XXX

"It's so boring. WE need a guitarist. A good one." Wendy complained. Hetia nodded in unison.

"Sure. Let's see...let's just tempt Lea to do it." Hetia suggested. Wendy looked at her with a cheery smile on her face, plucking the guitar.

"Sure. Soloist." Wendy snorted. "But."

Hetia perked up.

"It's going to be hard. Let's just take the three guitars out. Including yours and mine." Wendy finished.

_'What about Jake?' Hetia mused. 'He must be good too.'_

Wendy went out, taking hers and a guitar amplifier which was pink in colour. She went towards Lea who was now looking peaceful and Jake who was looking extremely nervous. Jake brighten up when he saw Wendy with the guitar. He outstretched his hands as if begging, 'Please give me'.

Wendy hugged her guitar then giving Lea a silent plea. Lea sighed. Her hands shook a bit as she took the guitar from Wendy. She started playing Cannon Rock.

"Wait." Jake said. Lea stopped looking weary.

"Yes?" Lea asked.

"Don't play yet. Play your infamous song."

"Like you're gonna rap yours."

"I need a piano plus Wee."

"You could be the greatest." Lea retorted, smirking as she and Wendy put down their guitar.

"You could be the best." Jake rapped.

"You could King Kong banging on his chest." Lea rapped with him, with Wendy tapping the table to mimic the beat.

"And can you stop that?" Lea said, half rapping.

"It's annoying." Jake agreed.

"Now you go bang on his door."

"And can you shut up?"

"I can't do."

"So now you know." Wendy interrupted as both siblings glared at each other. Jake was clenching his good hand.

"Goody right now is not my first name." Jake snarled. Lea banged her fist on the table between them.

"It was never your first name my dear brother." Lea retorted. Wendy gulped then edged away from them, not willing to feel the pressure from both sides. The people around them also edge away while Lea and Jake were sneering and snarling at each other.

"Okay." a familiar voice said. Putting his arms around his sister and brother, he smirked.

"Yo!" Crow greeted. Both of them were already glaring at Crow the moment he arrived. With a look full of loathing, Crow grabbed his sword, just in case. Then, all of them sighed a bit sadly.

"BORING!" Jake yelled at Crow. Lea nodded in agreement.

"All of us can feel your dark mana from here you idiot SIS!" Crow said with a bit of venom in 'sis' word.

"Excuse me..." Lea began quietly. Her murderous aura rising. "Would you like to know why?"

Crow gulped and shook his head. Lea stared at Aran who was still sleeping then thought about what Jake said.

_'Baru also has his own problem.' Lea thought as she pushed Crow away gently._ Walking down underground alone without interference. Crow and Jake had a feeling that the path she was going to walk is the point of no return.

"Every decisions count, Lea." they whispered softly but enough for Valfor and Aran to hear who suddenly tensed. Aran accidentally fell down from her chair much to their amusement. Aran got up, went towards Crow and Jake and pulled them towards a corner where she began to interrogate them. Valfor too went towards her side and demand answers. Instead of silence, Jake and Crow told them about what is happening.

XXX

"Oh my GOD!" Baru exclaimed. It was just a few days in the desert and they were already running out of water. Aran was already mumbling, "Need more water."

"Can't we go any faster?!" Ven complained. They were on a camel, after paying 10k of mesos. They decided to ditch the ride half-way which they only later regret it.

"Well. No." the camel said. He snorted at them. "It's your fault that you decided to ditch me."

"It's not my fault!" the duo screamed. "Besides," they added. "The bright side is...we are already there aren't we?!"

"Well. Technically yes." the camel replied gently. They ran down and went towards the town. Ven pounded after them and went to drink one of the sewer water which he suddenly recoiled after that out of the blue.

_'Surprise!' the two boys thought at the same time. _They weren't alone and they knew that they have to act like they were tourist before somebody in the town decided to sell them off. They looked at the overhanging clock at one of the stores which was showing '5:23 a.m.'

"Let's get an inn. We can't sleep here on the ground." Baru whispered to Aran who nodded in agreement. They walked slowly towards one of the inn showing 'Rising Moon'.

"Wait." Baru said, pulling Aran back. "I heard about this inn. It's like a scam."

"Too bad." Aran said. He smiled weakly at him. "I know there is a place where there is no scam. But it is a secret."

"Lead the way then." Baru invited before gesturing at Ven who was still sulking over the dirty water. Ven reluctantly follow the two boys as they went to an alley and have a few lights to light their path. Aran saw something on the ground, like a meso then knew that one of his reliable friend had come.

"Come on." Aran said urgently as he ran after the trail of meso which ended in one of his friend's favorite inn. This time the name wasn't anything normal but rather weird, 'HEY STUPID! TAKE YOUR RISK!'

"No wonder he kept greeting me like that." Aran mused. He pushed the oak door open and was greeted by a cheery sight. He gasped in amazement so did Baru and Ven who took a peek.

"YEAH!" a familiar voice cried out. A person obviously from the thief class was greeting them.

"Valk?!" both of them exclaimed. Valk nodded gleefully.

"Let's go...and get you to sleep." Valk said half-joking as he took a glass bottle and smashed it against Aran's head.

It was a mess. Aran had collapse while the glass bottle broke into tiny little glass pieces. Almost immediately,Baru punched Valk's masked face. Ven barely caught Aran who was groaning and...

"Bastard! You're drunk! Are you sixteen or just underage brat!" Baru screamed at him as he pinned Valk to the wall using one of the forks scattered on the floor. His hazel eyes made him very sharp as he inherited the genes of his parents or told by his foster parents who was dead before he met Phantom or before his cursed mirror changed his appearance to Aran's. Luckily, once Aran's soul is back to it's original body, his appearance has change back to normal.

He pulled his hood up in embarrassment. He closed his eyes, willing for peace to come into his mind. He counted to ten before opening his eyes again and carried Aran to an empty chair and rent two rooms which is, fortunately, side by side. Ven helped to carry Aran to his own room while Baru filled up a bucket of cold water and splashed it towards Valk to snapped him out of his drunk or spell if it is weak.

"Dui. I really need Lea's help after all, huh?" Baru muttered to himself. He recently felt a strong dark magic around Edelstein which is not possible. But then again, he wasn't really sure this time. News had reach him that the Black Mage broke his seal.

As he climbed upstairs, leaving the now-not-drunk Valk alone at the bar, he pushed the door to his room open. He jumped into the bed, not bothering to undress into his jammies and staining the bed with dirt.

XXX

"Jake." Crow said. Jake looked at him.

"What?!" Jake asked in an annoying tone which fits his mood right now. People below them were muttering about what just happen. Lea and Aran was fuming with something...metal.

"What's this?!" Claudine asked, taking a peek at the item. It was a metal ball and if heated, without a doubt, it would be the hottest ball in the Maple World.

Lea looked up with a glint in her eyes. Jake and Crow gulped, they started swinging around as best as they could and instead of dodging her attacks, they knocked each other head.

"OUCH!" they both cried out. Again, they were hanging upside down by the chains as both Aran and Valfor got piss off earlier from them for not telling _them _earlier.

"I promise! I will do better!" Crow screamed desperately. Everybody were staring at Lea with that look on the face. Amused, she started to throw bits of roll up paper at them without their notice.

"Headshot." Aran muttered, this time fiddling with her pole arm. Maha came out and started chatting with her which made them raise their eyebrows because Maha rarely talk.

_'But he is.' Lea thought. _She pretended to ignore their conversation and blinked lazily at her brothers who was still pleading and making promises like...

"I will pay for the drinks!" Jake screamed.

"Hell no! I will pay for your that CAT-NIP DRINK!" Crow shouted hoarsely, his throat getting dry after 15 minutes of shouting. Lea perked up, the drink is still expensive since it takes about 3 days to make it.

"You got a deal!" Lea shouted with glee. Lea threw his sword at him which he barely caught it and started to saw his chain. He landed on his feet with a sighed of relief.

He sheathed his sword and with a glare from Lea, he suddenly fight with her. It was a high speed fighting since both their skills were at a par.

"Trip!" Aran said as she pulled a chain which is still tied to one of Crow's leg. Crow fell down with the almighty _crash_. They would have laughed if it weren't for Crow's sudden disappearance. Lea and Aran searched for him frantically especially Lea who was really panicking as her sister caring activated (attitude).

Crow appeared again out of the thin air beside Lea then suddenly pulled her into a dance. Lea smirked then did a slow dance with Crow whose eye's showed affection and love for her. Even without music, they could hear their own music of their own that is...

"I really appreciate if you wouldn't do that Crow. You're wasting your stamina here." Lea whispered as a peaceful music continue to fill the air around them. Crow smiled in response. Valfor, Aran and Jake had to strain their ears to hear the music and started to hum much to Luminous's confusion.

"What are you guys-" Luminous said but Aran just put her forehead against his and allowed her mind only for Luminous to pass through. All of the sudden, he could hear Aran's hearing and then he pulled her into a hug. Luminous then released her and then they started to dance too.

"Awww...isn't that cute?!" Belle remarked sweetly. "Especially the Heroes. Crow and Lea...what kind of siblings would dance with each other?"

_'You wanna know? We don't see each other very often until recently. But we keep in touch!' Jake telepathic towards Belle._ Belle was surprised with this information.

_'Besides,' Jake added. 'It's been a long time since they have dance with each other. Crow still have long to catch up.' _Jake chuckled.

Crow and Lea formally bowed at each other. Crow parted as he walked through the shadows again and this time, to resume his search for a suitable place for both Alliance of the Maple World and the info dealers.

Aran and Maha began to argue again.

XXX

Lea was on the rooftop with Jake, drinking the cat-nip drink which they secretly went to the bar and paid a few millions of mesos for it. After all, there was a long queue and most of them are youkai or hanyou. Valfor was with them too, talking to Mastema. Once in a while, they will stop what they were doing and watch the pigeons which was busy pecking at the crumbs of bread which the rich old man (the only one in Edelstein) had thrown towards them. Kids running around the place as usual.

Lea sighed a bit. Actually they just wanted to watched the sun set but Valfor and Mastema crashed the party as they began to chat like crazy. Lea almost choked on her drink when she heard them, unexpectedly arrived at the very same rooftop they are on.

"Lea." Jake said, staring at the sunset.

"Hmm?" Lea asked, sipping her can drink.

"Do you think Nura would know what's going on?" Jake asked unexpectedly. Lea glanced at him.

"You're talking about the Nura clan. Our mother's family. They are one of the biggest 'hyakki youkai' right here and now." Lea chided. "Besides, if anything happens to them, they have to deal with it on their own. We can't help them. Except for info that is..."

"Well. It's my two favourite cousins." a familiar voice only to Lea and Jake who suddenly choked on their drink. Lea thumped her chest so do Jake.

"RIKUO!" they both screamed. They definitely hate his guts for showing out of the blue other then Crow.

"I'm Nura Rikuo." he introduced himself to Valfor and Mastema who was looking at him wearily and suspicion. Valfor sized him up then shook hands with him. Rikuo was a 13 year old boy (because a year has passed so he's actually 14). As usual, he wore his katana by his side and that traditional Japanese clothing, kimono. His hair light brown in colour and he had his spectacles on. Since one-eighth of his blood is youkai, he can't manifest his youkai form unless it is dark or at night.

"Ouch!" Rikuo winced as there was a gunshot sound from his wrist. Immediately, both Lea and Jake zeroed onto Valfor who was looking guilty.

"He's human in daylight." Lea said in a flat voice. Lea unsheathed 'Lisbeth' and pointed it at Rikuo's broken wrist. She began chanting a mage spell, healing magic and a beam of green light appeared at Rikuo's broken wrist which mend immediately. Rikuo stopped wincing.

"Thanks." Rikuo said as he sat next to Jake. Pushing his glasses up (actually it is fake lens), he started whistling a tune which they were forced to learn when they were young. Lea glared at him causing him to stare at her back coolly before making a joke to break the tension. But it worked too well as Valfor and Mastema had to catch them to avoid detection.

"You're too heavy." Valfor grunted. Fortunately for Rikuo, he had two hands on the edge. Unfortunately for Valfor the two siblings were too heavy for him. So they plunged to the ground and Lea's body glowed, allowing her to take a form of a dragon. Jake grabbed one of her horns which Lea buckled a bit. She glided through the air but caught many attention. Valfor just flew with Lea and settled on the roof with the duo.

As if on cue, Jake accidentally hit her weak spot that is her eye which she screamed before billowing some flames into the air which really caught all the citizens attention.

"You're dead." Lea screamed at Jake as she ran away from Edelstein. Rikuo managed to push himself up. He too, scrambled away from the place so that he wouldn't be scolded by anyone or his grandfather.

XXX

"Excuse me!" Aran screamed a bit hysterically. Jake winced. Luminous winced too as he couldn't help it but to watch Jake physically shrinking from her cold stare. Jake was literally turning into an ice sculpture.

Finally, Aran stopped glaring at him then muttered something under her breath before she started sparing with Luminous who was improving in his martial arts slowly. Luminous at least managed to land...

"Twice." Aran growled. "It's not good enough." She smirked before crashing into the sofa.


	6. Chapter 6 Captured?

**Baru's Dream**

_"Father..." Baru cried out as he finally found and unearthed the unmistakable truth. For so long, many people in his village shunned him from having a weird appearance. With his hazel eyes, even most people edged away from him. His only companions were animals._

_'Dear Son,_

_If you are reading this, that means I'm dead. I'm sorry. We couldn't be there for you. I have to hide you from our enemies. There is a package with it. A cursed mirror. This mirror will tell you your destiny by changing your appearance into that person. If that happens, in order to break the spell, you must helped him/her to find her path regardless of your situation. Remember...I love you. _

_PS: This is no prank and again, I apologize._

_Your father,_

_Phineas'_

_He stood in front of his parents grave, taking a bouquet of flowers which he bought earlier in the morning. He settled it down onto his parents grave and left them alone and leaving with the letter and the curse mirror._

_XXX_

_"I'm home!" Baru called out at the empty house. His foster parents died a month ago. He hung his bag and coat at the wall. Closing the door shut, he took the letter with him and went to his room. Opening the letter, he reread it again. _

_"Mirror? I don't see any." Baru muttered softly. Then, the letter glowed and twisted itself like an arrow shape. It pointed at his wardrobe. Baru went towards it and open. He saw a mirror with elaborate patterns on the edge. He took a look at it and then sighed, shutting the wardrobe shut._

**The next day...**

_Baru screamed like a girl, his appearance changed into that...like a tribal face. His hairstyle was a Mohawk which made him did a face-palm. His eyes, no longer hazel were now blue. When he checked the nearest mirror, he did another face-palm._

_"God." he said as he sat on the bed. He punched the mattress with frustration, thus making a hole on it. "How am I gonna face them?"_

_"This is so stupid." After this remark, he stood outside, taking his bag and began jogging around the woods. It was just a practically a nice day._

_"Wonder how am I gonna solve this...I mean...I'm just only 14..." he muttered. After a half an hour jog, he took a break as he climbed a tree and took out some rations. A few of the kids who were younger than him were playing football or training, aiming to be one of the best warriors in Maple World. He heaved a sigh then jumped down. It was risky but he always took it.  
_

_After dusting his feet, he walked towards his house and went to get his weapon, a pole arm. He began to kill the monsters to complete a certain quest by his foster mother. A simple thing and a simple life. That was until he bumped onto Phantom who was looking for him. The first impression Phantom made on him was a spoil brat.  
_

_"Hey Aran." Phantom greeted. Baru scowled at him._

_"My name is not Aran. Do I look like somebody you know?" Baru said angrily. Phantom nodded._

_"My name is Phantom. Are you Baru? I heard you're an information dealer." Phantom said unexpectedly. Baru's eyes had a glint._

_"Yes." _

_"Can you help me on something?" Phantom asked a bit weary. When Baru took a closer look, he realized Phantom was limping. Phantom stumbled a bit but he collapsed almost immediately when he tried to walk. Baru barely caught him as he lunged, trying to avoid killing him using his weapon._

_"You have to lose some weight." Baru complained although he carried Phantom like a rag doll. Phantom grinned a bit weakly when he came about._

_"Sorry." he muttered. Baru scowled at him before poking at the fireplace for more heat. After a while, a husky came inside._

_"Wraff!" the dog said. Baru smiled._

_"Come here, Dasher." Baru called out. The moment he said 'Dasher' the dog dashed around before tackling him. Baru was soak by Dasher's saliva within minutes. Phantom laughed at him as he looked so ridiculous. After cooking some porridge to eat, he went and attend other matters like feeding the dog or changing Phantom's bandages or chiding Phantom for not wanting to swallow the bitter herb soup._

_Dasher went out for a toilet break so Baru just looked at Phantom curiously._

_"As for the question you asked earlier what kind of specific info do you want?" Baru said raising his eyebrows. Phantom chuckled a bit nervously._

_"I heard that there was a dark magic outburst a week before." Phantom explained. Baru nodded, he knew it the moment it was released because he too, have dark mana inside him. Just sealed under a lock and key. _

_"Do you know who is the person?" Phantom asked. Baru shook his head. The moment he felt it, he rushed towards the area. It was gruesome. Trees were on fire, the ground was bared from grass and when he went up to the tallest tree, he could see it like a scar. It was a claw shape much to his confusion. All of this went through his mind when he stared at the fire._

_Baru let out a sigh._

_"It's best if you don't ask me anymore." Baru said softly which raised Phantom's suspicion. He heard rumours that Baru was a weird person due to his appearance especially his eyes which were hazel. But when Phantom first met him, it just reminded him of the boy Aran._

_'Damn.' Phantom thought. He too, actually has unique eye colour which is purple but he put a glamor onto it to avoid suspicion. Baru's eyebrow twitched a bit as he sensed he was being watched. He looked out at the window, not knowing that his eyesight has improved by 100x.  
_

_'A shadow? Hmm...' Baru thought as he peeked at Phantom who is still cursing about his leg. _

_"Never mind." Baru muttered a bit too loudly. He was surprised to see Phantom startle. _

_"You can take the bed." Baru said as he pointed on a one-hell of large hole at the side. "Don't worry about it. I will take the chair."_

_Phantom chuckled._

_"I insist." Baru said seriously. Phantom coughed._

_"You do realize that you're living at the outskirts of Henesys do you?" Phantom pointed out. Baru sighed._

_"Just go to SLEEP!' Baru snapped. He was already tired from chasing Dasher, the only husky dog for him. Dasher finally came back and jumped onto Phantom's lap. Patting his head, Phantom closed his eyes and was asleep in a second which solve all the problem for Baru except..._

_'Just take the bed.' Baru thought furiously. He curled onto his bed and slept like nobody's business. _

XXX

**Present**

Baru woke up with a start. He could feel his heart thumping furiously as he remembered that memory. He looked around him and found Aran at the floor, sleeping.

_'Sleepwalker!'_ _Baru thought angrily._ He just jumped of from his bed and took a quick shower before changing into his jeans and white T-shirt with the design of a warrior class before leaving Aran alone, snoring like a pig. After eating breakfast, he decided to buy a newspaper to kill time.

XXX

**Leafre**

"Damn Jake." Lea cursed as she reverted to her human form. She swiped at a red fruit which was her favorite. Her father, Drake sniggered.

"What?" Lea asked, her mouth stain from the fruit. Drake regarded her warmly before wrapping a blanket around her since she landed at a lake. Half-way falling into the lake, she transformed back into a girl and froze the lake with ice. Unfortunately, she did not do it in time as her clothes were soak. She spit the water out the moment she was on the edge of it. That's when her father came and laughed at her face.

Lea kept cursing as she wrapped the blanket tightly around herself. Her father had made some fire so that she was able to warm herself. Drake sat next to her, pointing at the constellations since it is dark.

"See that arrow?" Drake said with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "It's gonna come at you." he said in his ghostly tone, freaking Lea out a bit.

"Nah." Lea said as calmly as she could. "Although I have visited you earlier today it seems that fate is against me for today."

"Too bad. But you have to go back later." he pointed out. "I wonder what do you have to do to get a new boyfriend." he mused. Lea whacked his head.

"Maybe it's from the boy whom I told you last time." Lea pouted a bit when she said that. She was pretty sure that the boy she saw last time although the details were sketchy was the same one who is the newest commander of the Black Mage. She was extremely confused right now.

"Gah." she screamed a bit too loudly as the monsters around them began to scramble for cover as another wave of dark mana was released.

"Control your emotions!" Drake shouted as a barrier of flames appear around him, blocking her dark mana. Lea let out a sobbed as she tried to control it but it was a bit too much for her. Drake didn't want to do this but he knocked Lea unconscious. Checking her pulse, he stared at the sky and thought about the prediction Spiruna long ago.

"The wheel is turning." Drake muttered. Her breathing was back to normal the moment he carried her to Chief Tatamo's house. All the citizens were alert when they felt the dark magic which was recently. He cursed under his breath.

"_Her_?" he said with venom. "This is your child? The one who walks in a fine line of light and dark?"

Drake nodded rather nervously. Chief Tatamo glanced at Lea with pity.

"Poor child." he said as he put his hand on her forehead. Drake's expression turned sad.

"It was under my nose all along..." Chief Tatamo said sadly. "We could have help her." He turned towards Drake.

"Why did you hide this, my dear friend. The darkness will destroy her if you are not careful."

"I'm sorry. But this place is the best place to hide her and control her magic. If she berserk here like in Ellinia..."

"Things will be bad." Chief Tatamo finished. "Nature is good for her mind but I doubt it right now. These days...we have been feeling dark magic almost all over the world. I don't think it's Lea but..."

"But?" Drake pressed on.

"It's dangerous. For now. We must hide her...like what you did a long time ago when Jake was born."

"How did you know that?" Drake exclaimed, his face was shock.

"Easy. But your first-born won't be ahh...have dark mana. Your youngest son won't have any problems with it but only she will have it. Soul descendant like her are more easily...uhhh...what's that word again?"

"I doubt that." a voice said. A young man came out of the view...the youngest general of the Black Mage.

"Shit." Drake cussed, he unsheathed his two-handed sword and managed to grazed his cheek. Damien merely flicked the blood away.

"I will be taking your daughter." he said, rushing to counter-attack.

_'Experience. Brave. Good sword skills. Pity...I could tell he is just a one-eight youkai.'_ _Drake thought as he blocked about an instant attack. _Drake smirked.

"It's about time you show up." Drake grumbled. "I've tried to avoid this moment...but...no choice."

"Dragon Force!" Drake shouted. For a moment, nothing happen. Then, unexpectedly, red hot scorching flames surrounded Drake. He threw his sword towards a tree, narrowly missing the chief and Lea. He cracked his knuckles menacingly.

Damien looked calm but in the inside he was furious.

_'I just want my sister and mother back...' he thought. _His eyes filled with determination. He then try to find Drake's opening but found none. They both locked eyes with each other, both tense.

"Wing Slash of the Fire Dragon!" Drake shouted as he waved his arms, he slashed it at Damien but he narrowly avoid it only his forearm was burned from touching it. He endured it although it was burning hot.

Drake was impressed but he started laughing. Damien felt insulted by his actions and began to use both dark magic and 'fear' at him. Drake swatted it away, smirking as he did so.

"You may be older but sorry..." Drake said, releasing his 'Dragon Force'. "You're not good enough." Damien suddenly was behind him and kicked him at the ground.

"Strike!" he cheered for fun much to Chief Tatamo's confusion. He regarded him coldly but not making any move to kill him.

_'What the- He's just a kid in the inside. I thought he was like 310 by now.' Drake thought as he closed his eyes. _Forgetting that Lea was in danger, he was knock-out (a.k.a K.O) Damien chuckled a bit softly to himself as he scooped Lea into his arms and went back to shadow-travel which only youkai, half-youkai or at least have part of the youkai blood inside them can use.

XXX

**Ereve**

"Too late." Shinsoo suddenly muttered, she had an unmistakable feeling that one of the Balancer were in trouble.

"My dear, Empress, can you please contact the Heroes and find if the Balancers are there." Shinsoo asked unexpectedly. Her breathing was getting worse and it took quite a surprising effort out of her. Cygnus nodded and relayed the order to Neinheart. Neinheart grabbed the nearest telephone and called them.

"Yes? This is a special delivery." a familiar voice called out. Neinheart's eyebrow twitched.

"Phantom. Do you know where are your other allies or the Balancers are?" he whispered.

"I heard Aran, Luminous and Lea are at Edelstein." Phantom answered in his bored tone. "Would you like a message?" he added sarcastically. Neinheart slammed the phone down.

"How is it?" Cygnus asked.

"They are fine." he answered formally. He looked at Shinsoo whose eyes were open and looking extremely worried.

"I doubt that." Irena retorted. "With Shinsoo this disturbed, there must be something wrong."

"Hear. Hear." all of them chanted except for Neinheart. Neinheart picked up the phone again and this time, called Jake, who had given them his phone number.

"Yes?" Jake answered.

"Where's Lea and Dual?" Neinheart asked urgently. Jake sighed.

"Lea ran away after she transformed into a dragon to save me." Jake started. "She was so angry that I had a definite hunch that I would be screwed next time I see-"

Neinheart hung up.

"She ran away..." Neinheart said in a hollow tone. Shinsoo was now super alarmed.

"Oh god." Shinsoo said, panicking. She looked at Cygnus, her eyes was really really old. Cygnus whispered words of encouragement to Shinsoo.

XXX

**Edelstein**

"Emergency!" Aran shouted as she skidded to a stop in front of the trio. Jake was stunned beyond his core. He too, heard the news that Lea was kidnapped.

"Damn." Jake cussed as he punched the wall. Not just any wall, a metal beam wall which is suitable for battle maniacs like Valfor and Luminous and Aran. It was dented.

"How did you know that fast?" Valfor demanded. Jake then mimic a ghost gesture and sound.

"Spirits." Luminous answered for him, apparently impressed.

"Um...because of the 'spirit link'." Aran answered. Luminous coughed.

"This is bad..." Valfor muttered. He sensed a dark magic released all of the sudden at Leafre. Orchid too, barged into the room although she knew it was dangerous if they were fighting. Orchid was trembling.

"Another release..." Orchid muttered still trembling, she locked eyes with Aran and had a silent agreement with her.

"Jake. Do your best to locate her." Aran said clearly. Maha came out, nodding. "Orchid...are you sure? I mean...you haven't recover fully yet."

"I'm your best bet." Orchid pointed out, her voice quavering. She stumbled. She had to lean against Aran for support. Aran can sensed Lea but it was dim. Somehow, she knew that if Lea was close by, she would sense her.

"First stop..." Aran began. "Leafre."

"That's stupid you know." Jake said. "She's not there anymore."

_'Hear. Hear.' a familiar voice said to Aran._ Aran coughed.

_'Do you know where she is?'_

_'In the ruins where the Transcendences once lived together.' Erika answered. 'I won't be able to guide you there. And it's not advisable to bring Transcendence of Life there.' _Aran nodded much to their confusion. She carried Orchid outside in casual clothes which was what an average 14~16 years old girls wear.

"Why do you have to give me this kind of pink and purple stripes leggings?" Orchid grumbled.

"Because you look like out age my dear." Aran said in her soft and dangerous tone. Orchid was suddenly fine when she was under the light. Together, they boarded a ship to Victoria Island because of a certain something.

_'Don't cramp my head with all your telepathy...you idiots.' Aran telepathy Jake, Luminous and Valfor who was left alone at the HQ to help to get information._ She looked at the blue sky which has the same shade as her eye colour. Orchid was wearing a white shirt in the inside but wearing a kind of beige jacket which is suitable and fashionable. Wearing only a pink skirt to match with her clothes and her hairstyle tied to her usual pigtails.

"I will kill you soon." Orchid threatened. Aran waved her treat away with a wave of her hand.

XXX

**Somewhere in Leafre**

Drake finally woke up. He felt that he was forgetting something important until he saw Chief Tatamo's face.

Everything about Lea went back to him and the last time he remembered was Lea was kidnapped. He was so angry with himself that he did a reckless thing even Chief Tatamo was afraid of.

He jumped off his bed and slammed the trees surrounding him, making sure that his anger is vented out of the nature. Finally he came to the spot where Lea got kidnapped and went to retrieved his sword.

"Luna will be so mad at me." Drake pointed out as he jumped to the sky, grabbing hold of his dragon, Igneel, the fire dragon with red scales(mostly).

"I told you." Igneel snorted. Blowing fire at the sky.

Drake just pouted a bit as they began to search for her trail which had went cold just minutes before.

XXX

**Unknown area**

When Lea woke up, she felt a sharp pain in her head which made her wince badly. Damien smirked at her at a barrier specially made by his master.

"Hello. Did you have a nice sleep?" Damien asked mischievously but his eyes show that he was uneasy...even confused. Lea had been in many weird situation but this earned the price of being the weirdest. She was in a kind of wind barrier but somehow, she could see and hear through the roar of the wind which suppose to have mute her.

"I'm fine." Lea said. Then, she realized something else...she sensed another presence in the room and started to locate it. That cold feeling settled on her.

_'Why am I so unnerved? It's kinda familiar...' Lea thought. _After a while, she felt a sharp pain at her neck, this time she touched it and looked at it. She saw her own blood which didn't even unfazed her but what made her worried and how did she get it.

Her heartbeat accelerated all of the sudden. Her sense of dread worsen.

Unconsciously, she ripped the wind barrier merely with dark magic. The Black Mage's smile widen.

"Perfect." the Black Mage said unexpectedly. Lea was snapped out of her trance and glared at the Black Mage with loathing. He clapped then as mimic as if to pull a rope. Lea was pulled towards his side and the Black Mage checked her properly as he put some of his magic into her. Lea kept screaming every time he did that.

Her vein ran cold, her eyes widen with shock and disbelief. It was even more painful than hers which made her wonder why it happens.

The Black Mage suddenly stop and tilted her chin up to face him.

"Because I put more intensity in my magic every time." he whispered so softly that only Lea can hear it. Damien hung back, covering his ears as best as he could to block out Lea's screaming.

"Take her away." he ordered to Damien. "I won't need her until tomorrow."

Damien nodded before carrying her to a dungeon and went up, leaving her wincing and growling in frustration. He felt that something was wrong after a while when Lea was silent for the next minute.

"Don't worry." the Black Mage assured him. "I will make sure she would not be injured to the extend where most young Dragon Slayer can activate their 'Dragon Force'."

"And I think it is time to announce the world that I've capture her." he added softly. "Maybe not."

_'Make up your mind.' Damien thought. _Damien then went and cover himself up with a rag blanket before settling at the corner to sleep. It has only been 50 minutes since he brought her here and he couldn't get her face out of his mind. Willing sleep to come, he suddenly fidget.

_'Damn.' he thought. 'Maybe I should go a jog, maybe that will keep my mind not thinking of her.' _Instead, he banged his head against a wooden chair and got have a huge bruise on his head. After an hour or so, he managed to sleep peacefully but dreamt about Lea.

XXX

Meanwhile, Dual was grumbling.

"What do you mean. She. Was. Kidnapped." Dual yelled at Jake the moment he felt another presence of dark magic at Leafre. He shadow-travel to Edelstein and fortunately, while they were having a break.

"I already told you." Jake said through his gritted teeth. "She's missing. Kidnapped. We have witness too and that's my father and Chief Tatamo!"

"I'm not complaining." Luminous said half-hardheartedly. He was worried about what the Black Mage wants from Lea. He knew that both Lea, Aran and Dual are connected. One way or another.

"Dual...Are you also a soul descendant?" Luminous asked. Dual was startled by this unexpected question but knew that Luminous was sharp.

"Don't know." Dual answered with a hint of annoyance. He scratched his head. Luminous then let his suspicion go.

_'Forget it Dual. I won't tell you if you are the soul descendant or not.' Leviathan spoke. _Dual scowled.

"What did you say?" Jake asked. His eyes widen with curiosity. Dual punched him.

"You heard my conversation with Leviathan! Damn you!" Dual cursed.

"And." he continued, turning towards Valfor then at Jake in turn with a glint and worry in his eyes. "Aren't you guys suppose to train or at least look for her."

"You like her." Jake said with his tongue rolled up in the inside to make a weird sound.

Dual's cheeks flushed.

"I did not!" Dual protested weakly. "I think her as my sister..."

"Younger that is." he added softly. Jake ruffled his hair.

"That feeling is mutual." Jake said with a smirked.

XXX

**Dungeon, Unknown Area**

Lea has tried to break the bars but her twin swords were taken away and she had no idea where they have kept it. But everytime she tried to break the bars, with a touch, she knew they were reinforced with dark magic which was bad for her at certain point.

She was exhausted and her right arm was raw red thanks to the non-stop increasing of intensity of the dark magic. Luckily, she made sure that she protect the link and the dragons. Because of that, her mana was almost depleted and she was so hungry. Not only that, the newest general made her extremely nervous sometimes and she wondered why.

_'Better sleep. I can't talk to them anymore.' Lea thought as she settled herself down on the cold hard ground. _She watched the pitiful window which was also barred. She put her hand at the empty scene, but look sad as she knew she was trap. She had a hunch that it has another spell on it, to prevent her.

Instead, she took a risk and immediately her right hand burn as if somebody had apply hot water onto it plus chemicals.

She winced painfully. The Black Mage chuckled as he descend down the steps.

"Amazing isn't it? My own creation." he boasted. Lea nodded despite herself, clutching her right arm.

"I will get out of here." she said. He merely smirked at her, even in such low lighting, she could see him smile although his hood covered his face mostly.

"Maybe." he said. Then he spoke in a darker tone, "Maybe not."

"They won't be able to find you. And besides, Aran will be here too...two birds with one stone."

"Oh? They will escape." Lea said with conviction although she wasn't sure.

"I doubt that." he replied but in his mind he thought, _By the time I will be at full power again._

He teleported back to his throne and had plenty of time to planned training and tricks to pull her dark mana into himself although he knew it was impossible.


	7. Chapter 7 Or so they thought

"No. Higher up Luminous." Jake lectured Luminous who was now off-rhythm. Luminous was daze and they knew why.

"It's already 2 in the morning. If you want, take a break." Jake said with a sigh. He let out a yawn. He has been gathering information and sparring with Luminous at the same time. Each time Luminous used dark magic, he merely deflect it with his staff.

"You see...dark mana don't work on me. Unfortunately, yours are just as same as Lea's." he snickered.

Luminous passed out and just to be caught by Valfor who shook his head disapprovingly.

"Really? I thought your reputation of 'Killer Bishop' was just a fraud. Because Lea was like giving this face." Valfor said as he mimicked Lea's look of disbelief as best as he could.

"You will be surprise." Jake said with dark humor. "I'm like an exorcist and a bishop and a kekkaishi."

Under Valfor's confuse look, he explained more, "Kekkaishi is like a bishop but..." He took out a few papers with human shape and some kanji's (I don't know how to write on computer with the dash thing) on it.

"We can do this." Jake said as he purposely dropped one of the papers. A perfect replica of Jake appeared.

"And..." the second Jake said in the same voice.

"It's originated from Japan!" they said out loud. Valfor coughed. The 'shikigami' of Jake went back to paper. It fluttered to Jake's outstretched hand. Jake kept the papers back to his pocket.

"Okay." Valfor said, impressed. He dumped Luminous to a bed in his cabin.

"Well." Valfor said, clapping his hands to take the dirt away. "One problem down."

"Another to go?" Jake asked. He tilted his head, his eyes looked serious although he had a smile on. Valfor shook his head.

"Can you track her?" Valfor asked.

"NO."

"Why?"

"I don't know."

"Now that is stupid isn't it?"

"Duh." Jake retorted as he rolled his eyes. Jake then left Valfor alone and tend to his own info gathering.

XXX

**Magatia**

"Screw it." Aran cursed.

"For?" Baru droned with a bored expression.

"Tying me up!" Aran shouted. He was hung upside down from the chandelier. A long strong rope, personally made by Baru, was tied to one of his legs and he was being pushed around by Valk who wanted to test the durability of the rope.

At the bar, Baru just calmly sipped some cat-nip drink. The surroundings around them were dark and dull which suits Baru's current mood. Valk was now in a excited mode which made him high.

"Just me down already!" Aran pleaded. Baru sighed.

"No." Baru said bluntly. Aran snarled at Valk who back away from his face.

XXX

"I'm starting to wonder why am I bringing you along..." Baru said. It was horrible. They smashed (accidentally) the inn because of themselves (mostly Aran's fault).

They were now walking to a cave where Baru's and Valk's friend lived. The torches around them blazed to life, revealing an old man who looked fit much to Aran's surprise. He gave them a toothy grin.

"Okay." he said in a childish voice as he sat cross-leg on an expensive cushion, trimmed with sliver. They too, sat but uneasily.

"What do you want?" he asked suspiciously.

"Are there any info that we have missed out?" Baru asked.

_'Straight to the point.' all of them thought except for Baru. _

"Really?" he said. "Have you heard that Lea has been kidnapped?"

"What?" the trio was stunned.

"It was just recently. From the looks of it, it was tensed." he added gravely. "By capturing her..." he trailed off.

Baru clenched his fist.

"Tell us all you know about it." Baru said as calmly as possible.

The old man gave him a glare.

"What? A human like you...no...half-beast." he said with venom. Baru gave him that evil eye.

"We have to get her back...no...wait...no...wait.." he kept fuming with himself when he said that then glared at the trio in turn.

"I'm afraid..." he finally whispered.

"Of?" Aran asked.

"That...that...ugh...sorry...this is an old man worry."

All of them gave him a suspicious look.

"Really?" Baru asked calmly, fidgeting with his fingers.

"That she will kill me." her finally answered. There was silence. A few minutes later, Aran, Baru and Valk burst into laughter. The old man blushed a little before taking out an...album. It was Lea when she was 11 and she had a white hoodie on and the angle made her look mysterious plus the the 'Yui' word were in bold and big.

Aran and Baru dropped their jaws.

"So it's true." Baru and Aran whispered at the same tempo. "Jake was telling the truth!"

"Oh! SHUT UP!" the old man yelled at them.

**20 seconds later**

"Basically you're her fan." Aran said. Then, he added softly, "One of _her_ fans that is."

"Yeah..and if the Black Mage captured her...she won't be able to to make new songs~!" the old man yelled. In the end, they have to leave that old man alone as he was going off topic and not telling the important ones.

"He's really useless." Valk remarked in depression. The other two boys nodded in agreement.

XXX

**Dungeon, Unknown Area**

"Wake up." Damien called out. Lea continued to sleep peacefully and despite himself, he felt his cheeks flushed. Because of one thing and he knew it.

"Dang." Damien cussed through his gritted teeth. He then bang the bars with the hilt of his sword which echo around them and hurt their own ears. Lea woke up, feeling irritated due to lack of sleep as she had slept after a few hours the Black Mage left her alone. Not only that, her arm and neck was sore from sleeping in a bad position and her head pound.

Damien snapped his fingers and the bars at the door dissolved.

"Well." Damien said slowly, feeling agitated by her presence. "Come out then."

"And what?" Lea asked then released another yawn. Lea winced when Damien purposely grabbed her right arm and squeezed it then pulled her up where his master was waiting. She had to bit her lips to prevent herself from screaming but it didn't work as she screamed once before covering with her good arm.

Her hat, which was still with Jake, has a certain something she need but...

"Don't think about it." the Black Mage snapped at her. Several chains suddenly shot out from the ground, restraining her movements and leaving her any space only to breathe. Lea gasped in pain.

_'Dang. What is he planning? I can't tell...' Lea thought. _Damien gave her a look of pity which Lea was annoyed of.

"Kill Shinsoo." he ordered. Damien bowed before he took his leave. Lea was stunned.

"So..." he began. "I will break you...like what I did to Aran with Aria." He laughed evilly as he made a screen with an orb. Showing images of what's going on in the world and Lea stifled a scream.

It was showing Ereve and the peaceful place. Then, he purposely zoom onto Shinsoo, who was weak.

"Very weak." he remarked coldly. His voice was like a knife being sharpen with a stone. He turned towards Lea.

"Think...how long she will last against an invasion. But don't worry. He have to go by stealth and make sure that Shinsoo is dead. Only. But I wanted a grand-scale invasion. But with my current power. It would not be enough." He put his hand on Lea's forehead. His rotten smell overpowering Lea's sense of smell.

"But." he whispered. "With you. It will be enough." Lea resisted and tried to reel in her dark mana which was now at the minimum. But he toyed with it making it increase in power until Lea had a high fever which was caused by too much mana stored in her body or past the point where her body could not take it. He kept doing it until Lea had no choice but to let the dark mana trickle away from her.

"Not enough." he muttered. Lea felt a sharp pain from her cheek. He purposely scratched her deep enough to draw blood. Lea resisted as her blood dripped, staining her already dirty shirt. Her vision was starting to blur.

_'No...don't sleep yet.' Lea thought as much as she could. _In the end, with exhaustion and hunger, she fainted. He laughed in victory as dark mana flowed out of her, more than he had thought. Because of this, he could create his own army but just enough for Damien.

"You really are useful after all. Who know that my curse on Talos would work well in the end?" he mused.

XXX

**On the way to Orbis**

"She's in trouble!" Aran suddenly shouted. Orchid was startled, they were on an airship. Wolfie growled angrily.

Earlier, they went to Ereve to pick up Wolfie for transportation.

"But we don't know where she is!" Wolfie whispered as soft as she could. Everybody were staring at them because of Orchid who looked cute to the boys. With her pigtails and feminine style, she looked innocent. Aran was glaring at the boys who were checking them out.

"You need to wear more clothes ya'know." Orchid whispered. Aran smiled.

"When pigs fly." Aran whispered. Orchid coughed.

"Well...there are pigs that fly."

"Naw. Wait...what?!"

"In a million years that is." Orchid said it while Aran was drinking water which made her spit it out at Orchid who was at the line of fire. Orchid managed to deflect the water using her magic towards the boys who pissed them off so much. Everybody in the room suddenly roared with laughter and the duo blushed furiously although Orchid did get a bit annoyed.

"It's not funny." Aran yelled. Orchid laughed again.

"You're so easy to trick." Orchid said with difficulty. Aran punched her head.

"I...DO...NOT-"

"Yes, you do!" Orchid interrupted cheerily. Aran's face was now as red as tomato.

"AHHH!" Aran screamed as she went to the deck. Orchid snickered.

"Ahhhh...that was fun." Orchid remarked with that mischievous face on.

_'OH SHUT UP!' Aran screamed. _Orchid grimaced, she didn't expect Aran to have this a bit childish personality.

"Speaking of it." Orchid said as she looked at Wolfie. "I haven't sense any like strong release of dark mana recently. The most one is either Luminous-"

_'And how do you know that?!' Aran asked._

"or Lea." she finished.

Aran was watching the fluffy clouds as she read Orchid's mind. She also could feel that her connection with Lea was slowly fading as if someone had been blocking it. She amused herself by picturing the clouds as animals and sometimes monsters. Then, a idea formed at her head.

_'There must be a good reason why my connection with her was going dull. I'm glad that she protected the link between us and the dragons. But...if this keeps up...she will have whole lot of trouble later...'_

She punched the air in frustration.

"Wait for me..." she promised.

XXX

**Edelstein**

"Beep." Jake said when Luminous failed to use instant-movement.

"Your entry and pull out is worse than I thought." Jake remarked as Luminous fell down again. Valfor was trying too but...

"Too slow." Jake said bluntly.

"I can just use 'Light Blink'." Luminous pointed out. Jake punched him in the chest and that's no ordinary punch as Luminous was blown over 5 metres.

"Don't keep relying on magic. What if you can't reach your mana pot? Hm?" Jake lectured them. "Valfor is different matter but...if he can't hit the opponent he won't be able to recover his 'Demon Fury'. Even me...I have flaws so does Lea and she's now being captured and we had no idea what is he doing." With these words, Jake knew that it was the truth and they can't hide it.

"How did you know?" Valfor demanded, tripping over Luminous again.

_'At least. He's making progress.' Jake thought. 'But...toooooo slow.'_

"The least I can do is teach you some hand-to-hand combat." Jake said with his eyes glint. The duo look at each other uneasily.

"I thought hand-to-hand combat is weapon to weapon." Valfor said. Jake laughed.

"In your days? Maybe. BUT IN THIS ERA-" Jake began and was interrupted by a sudden knocking at the door. Wendy was inside within a second. She looked pale which surprise them as they knew Wendy haven't been doing anything serious.

_'Unless...' Jake thought hopefully. _He said out loud, "Did you find anything?"

"No. But I now know why he wanted her. He's weak. For now." Wendy said. "He's using Lea's."

"Well. They don't call you top 10 for nothing." Jake said as he shook the dust of his shirt. "How is he going to get it?"

"Simple. You know your sister too well." Jake grimaced as he knew that Wendy was right.

_'Not torture. They need her healthy.' _

_'Yes.' Guwar answered. _

"Ugh." Jake said. "Wendy. Find more info. I'm going to take this whole thing to the whole new level." he said, charging his magic in a single point.

Wendy ran out of the room, shutting the door, looking worried than anybody could have known. Claudine perked up when Wendy entered but she shook her head. Claudine was told that Lea was in danger by Wendy which made all of them surprise. But...they knew they aren't the only one.

Meanwhile, inside the training room, Jake's eyes changed to golden yellow colour.

"Ready?" Jake asked. The duo nodded and Jake released his magic which made the room temporary stop time.

XXX

**Unknown area, throne room**

"Hey..." a familiar voice called to Lea. "Open your eyes~"

Lea opened her eyes and felt her body ached. She touched her cheek and knew that she was free for the moment. She squinted at the dim light and find Damien with a bowl of food for her. He even had some plastic bags which consist of healing herbs. Lea looked at him gratefully before accepting the things he had to offer. Damien began munching on an apple.

"Back from your mission?" Lea asked. Damien smiled.

"No. I'm back for a thing. But then again...he's the one who ask me to kill Shinsoo which is not easy if _they _are there." Damien explained. Lea looked uneasy then realized something else.

She could barely hold the bowl as now both her arms were very sore from both binding and her dark mana released. Damien then went inside the cell and spoon-feed her.

"Do you need help in healing?" Damien asked. Lea gave him a weak smile.

"I take that as a yes." Damien said with a grin as he wrapped the herbal leaves which could be found in Ariant and Ereve only. Damien fixed Lea as best as he could before helping her in eating again. He didn't know what was the time until he looked outside Lea's cell window. Every time he saw her, his heart skip a beat. Lea grinned at him weakly before going back to sleep.

Then, he remembered something else. He remembered a certain young girl gave him an apple to eat when he was hungry.

As he shut Lea inside the cell, he then blinked the tears away.

_'Why am I crying?' Damien thought as he climbed up the stairs. _He narrowed his eyes as he pretend that some sand (which was from the bricks) got into his eyes. He was still amazed by how powerful Lea's dark mana is. His master merely just used it to create an army enough to invade even the peaceful Ereve.

"Should I invade now?" Damien asked, on his knee in front of the Black Mage. His master shook.

"It took a lot more out of me. I rather wait until Ereve is defenseless." he said slowly. "We need her healthy. I hope she will be ready for next time." He added softly, "That is...tiring. You will be babysitting her until she is drop dead which is doubtful."

Damien nodded in response then took a quick look at his army.

_'Demons? I think they are just a typical bizarre mix up monsters.' he thought then sniggered. _He had seen how demons look like and most of them have appearance of a human with their heritage.

He went back to check on Lea and did not realize that he had fallen asleep, snoring in harmony with Lea who was recovering slowly so as her dark and the light mana.

XXX

**Edelstein, Training room...or so they thought  
**

It was already 5 hours since Jake activated his 'anti-space' magic.

"What shit is this?" Valfor cussed as he was floating in the air. Zero Gravity. He could barely move and have to use his arms as if he was swimming. Jake scratched his chin. He smirked at his companions although he was the one who created the space.

"Do you know where are we?" Jake asked, doing and upside down handstand at the ceiling. Luminous can't even move, his weapons were just 5 inches away from him.

"What have you been eating?" Jake groaned as he tried to pull Luminous up.

"I don't know." Luminous replied, his voice strangely muffled. Jake then gave up on helping him to stand. Luminous panicked a little or maybe...a little too much.

"HELP ME!" Luminous shouted. Valfor was impressed on how Jake could move as if he were standing on a solid ground which they both can't do for the moment. Jake took out a scroll and read it. He muttered something to himself before snapping it shut.

Jake clapped his hands and Valfor fell down to the ground giving that almighty CRASH sound. Luminous winced as...Valfor actually was right on top of him before Jake released his magic. Luminous winced.

"Now-" Jake was interrupted by the duo's glare. "Whoops. Gotta go." he said before running away.

"COME BACK HERE YOU CREEP!" the duo screamed. And that's when the cat and rat chase began.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the short chapter. I'm feeling a bit ill lately. Not only that, my exams are coming up. See you in the next chapter.  
**


	8. Chapter 8 The girl who gave him an apple

**A/N: I still haven't finish my exams but I wanted to finish this chapter first...History (Sejarah)...BRING IT ON! Enjoy~  
**

* * *

**Edelstein**

"I'm sorry!" Jake wailed as he was chased by Luminous and Valfor who was piss off to the extreme.

'_SOMEBODY HELP ME!' Jake thought desperately._

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Jake screamed as he was at the edge of…

"WAHHHHH!" Jake screamed like a girl as he fell. Feeling weightless, he shouted, "FEATHER DROP!"

"Oh , crap." Jake said, covering his mouth. He just alerted Valfor and Luminous his whereabouts. In a blink of an eye, Luminous was in front of him and Jake stumbled backwards until he couldn't move any further.

Jake whimpered and Luminous looked deadly serious.

Then, Jake suddenly smile.

"Just kidding." Jake said as he suddenly appeared at the roof. Waving goodbye before running at top speed and occasionally, bumping at the citizens of Edelstein.

"COME BACK HERE!" Luminous ordered. Chasing him again.

**Few hours later...**

"I can't believe it." Wendy exclaimed. "How did the fucking hell you get these injuries."

"Language, Wendy." Jake said with malice. Wendy continued to chant her magic as Jake's injuries slowly heal.

"I mean…" Jake sighed in relief. "Lucky it wasn't worse."

"But that's one wicked skill Luminous have there. Even though he's originally a light mage. I can safely assume that his dark mana came from the Black Mage himself. Lea is just unlucky or lucky to get dark mana. Fortunately for us, she's not like him…in terms of intensity that is."

"True." Luminous said unexpectedly behind them. He looked at Wendy with a questioningly look that said, _'How did you know that?'_

Wendy gave him 'what-do-you-think?' look.

"Spill the beans. I want to know how strong Lea's dark mana is." Luminous said as he steered them to a private room, ignoring a lot of busybodies. Valfor was hanging upside down above Jake's head with a rope. He was swinging from right to left like a pendulum.

"Okay. If in terms of intensity Lea's not that all bad but good enough to make me suffer." Jake trembled when he said that. Twiddling his thumbs, he continued, "Not only that. If we want to stop her having one of those recently out-of-control dark mana or outburst of those, a magic-canceller is needed. And that's a super duper rare ability. If we can find one in this age, I would be very grateful. Unfortunately… we haven't found one yet."

It was hard to take him seriously when he's busy checking his messages. Even Luminous wasn't sure if he was joking or just being serious but in his own way. He paced around impatiently after that, sensing that Lea is in greater danger than he thought.

"Hmm…by right….she should be healthy…but then….I don't know…"

"What do you mean?" Luminous demanded.

"If he uses force-" Jake began.

"Then, he would have Lea's dark mana." Wendy finished for him, snapping her handphone shut. "Not only that. There's a good possibility that…" she trailed off as a realization hit her.

"OH SHIT!" Wendy cussed. "There's a good possibility that she won't be able to hold back her dark mana!" Jake slapped his forehead.

"That's bad." Jake said, panicking already. Luminous looked from Wendy to Jake.

"If she faint….it's suppose to shut off right?" Luminous asked.

"NO!" Wendy screamed. "IF IT'S WAYYYYY TO MUCH FOR HER, IT WILL LEAK OUT. HE COULD USE IT FOR HIS OWN PURPOSE. NOW I KNOW WHY HE WANTED HER."

"Don't yell at me." Jake muttered. Wendy glared at him.

"What about Aran?!" Luminous asked. Wendy bit her lips.

"I don't know." Wendy said a bit hysterically.

"Typical thing, isn't she?" Valfor asked. Luminous nodded then realized that he's in the room too.

Luminous screamed in fright as Valfor appeared next to him. Jake would have laugh if he weren't in such a shock.

"Don't do that!" the trio shouted in unison.

Valfor folded his arms.

"I heard everything." Valfor said bluntly. "As for that girl Aran…I've heard of her now that I think about it in the past. He said something about crucial and a lab rat?"

"Are you even listening?" Jake remarked coldly. Valfor shook his head.

"I was too worried to think about that."

"And so you're just another person who's hyperactive?" Wendy asked casually. Valfor didn't realize that Wendy was even insulting him. Jake was behind him in a second.

'_What? I didn't even sense his presence.' Valfor thought. _Jake punched him at the face.

"You're two hundred years far behind." Jake said in his dangerous tone. "If I just teleport there, you could've sense my presence already. This is what I called, 'Instant-Movement',"

"And we don't really care." Wendy said bluntly. In a blink of an eye, Jake was pounding Wendy at the head which made her winced in pain.

After a few minutes, he decided to go to Henesys to eat…pork.

"And you have the nerve to drag me along." Luminous said with a scowled. Jake waved his fork around in response. Munching dutifully at the pork, he looked at the sky.

XXX

Evan was strolling around Henesys. Mir was moaning about food which made their stomach rumble. They caught lots of attention especially from the paparazzo which normally don't bother them until recently. Thanks to Empress Cygnus who decided to disclose the information to the public, they have to hide…most of the time or at least act inconspicuous.

'_Master…I'm hungry…' Mir moaned. _Evan patted her head.

"It's okay. I have a perfect place where we could get meat for you. Remember the pork you ate?"

Mir's eyes gave him that 'of-course-i-know-that'. Evan chuckled as they hid behind an alley which was very few compare to Kerning City.

"Come on." Evan invited. Mir nodded at him. Luminous had a hood covering his face when he spotted the paparazzo. Jake chuckled a bit before making a barrier around themselves which cloak them from the paparazzo's sight.

Luminous gave him a quick nod which said 'Thanks' Jake tossed a spoon aside but not randomly. He smelled Evan's scent from north-west. It struck Evan's back of his head with a soft thud causing him to turn and find Jake and Luminous sitting calmly although Luminous looked bored.

He ran towards them with Mir. He panted before sliding to a chair.

"How could you avoid their detection?!" Evan asked. Jake raised his eyebrows.

"As a mage." Jake said between his bites. "You should know how to sense magic."

Evan concentrated then realized he's right. He can sensed several mana flowing all around him including Jake's and Luminous's. But most importantly, Mercedes's.

"Woah…that's cool." Evan remarked as he sensed everything in new light.

"And…you will get dizzy if you're a first timer." Luminous warned. As if on cue, Evan was feeling nauseous, causing him to lose control of his magic sense. He vomited at Jake, who was glaring at him.

XXX

**Unknown Area**

The moment Lea have her swords back, Damien started attacking her as for training. Damien was thrilled to finally found at least someone worthy to crossed his blade with. Lea used only 'Tyrfing' and its scabbard much to Damien's confusion. 'Lisbeth' hung at her side. The string that used to tied them together was now on 'Lisbeth'.

Lea did an unmistakable gesture. Showing that she is experience in combat. One leg forward and her grip on the sword. She made sure the blade was pointing backwards.

Damien took a step back, looking at her wearily. Adrenaline flowed through him, allowing him to take every single detail around him including which part of her was tense and predict where she was going to strike.

In a next second, he took a huge risk as he did a feint before releasing a huge amount of 'fear' at her. Lea anticipated it so she step side but when he swung his sword in a deadly arc. She deflected it with her hilt, only the most expert sword-user could do this.

"Oh-" Damien said. "No, you don't."

Lea gave him that smirked which reminded him of somebody and familiarity from it. Lea unsheathed 'Lisbeth' without warning and started attacking him non-stop.

"Nice. But not good." Lea said finally as he kicked him at the chest when his sword was locked with hers.

"VERTICAL SLASH!" Lea shouted as she used instant-movement to get to his back, leaving 4 slashes which made up a box. The sword marks she left on the floor like scars began to glow and Damien felt his chest, sides and stomach have sudden pain.

He dropped his sword, breathing heavily. Lea was alarmed on how much damage then rushed to his aid. He groaned and felt her heart thumping under a few layer of cloth. He felt his cheeks burn.

"Are you okay?" Lea asked. Damien smirked a bit then leaned against her for support.

"BAKA!" Lea shouted at him. "If you can't take that attack. What's the point of making more trouble for us?!"

"For fun." Damien replied sarcastically. Lea scowled out him.

"I swear. That you just lost me 10 years of my life." Lea retorted. They were actually inside a barrier made by the Black Mage himself to give them space since the ruins were crumbling if one of them hit the walls around them.

"I can heal myself." Damien said coldly as he could as he shook Lea off. Sure enough, his injuries healed and Lea was extremely sure that he was injured before. But not seriously injured. His shirt, have a mark that showed his purplish skin like Valfor's.

He picked up his sword again.

"Good. But not good enough. More dark magic please." the Black Mage remarked. Lea gave him a look of loathing before throwing 'Tyrfing' which sailed over his head due to a barrier. Her arm ached.

He dissolved the barrier then step down from his thrown. He looked at Lea in the eye and smirked.

"If that isn't going to help us nor you…I will use force. Got it?" he threatened. Lea laughed. Her eyes twinkled.

"Good luck." she said. He knew that she was serious and over the last few days, the change was noticeable. He had been watching her growing up after all since she checked on the seal since she was 3. But that was because Rhine was with her.

When she was 7, he spoke with her but she couldn't hear him back then because she was fixing the seal using Rhine's power. She hasn't realized that Talos, the Time Dragon was lending his too. That's when he knew that she was _the one_. Just like when he laid his eyes on the girl Aran who has that super rare ability.

By joining his enemies' side, it was a huge lost to him.

Shaking himself out of his memory, he regarded Lea.

"I will make sure that my threat will be fulfilled…Balancer." he said coolly before sitting on his throne again.

"And that." with every word he summoned a chain to restrain her. "Will not end. Here." He pulled her closer to him, releasing as much dark mana with higher intensity than Lea could ever know. Lea screamed again until her throat went dry.

He released her as he laughed evilly at her fate. Damien took her back to the dungeon and treat her injuries although she protested.

"Brave but you're an idiot." Damien remarked. Lea narrowed her eyes.

"Like I'm the only one." Lea said bluntly. Damien did a 'hmmph' before settling her gently against the cold floor and treat her injuries. At the same time, Lea used her remaining mana (not dark) to strengthen the barrier around the trio of dragons and the 'spirit link'.

Damien put a cool cloth on her forehead.

"Thanks." Lea said. Damien shrugged. Then, he thought about the words the girl who gave him an apple.

**Flashback, 10 years ago**

_In the outskirts of Leafre, he was seriously injured. He was fighting solo against several dragon type monster. But he was careless, fortunately, a kid not any older than him (his age gap remember? It's quite long)._

"_Aiya. Why so slow?" a little girl voiced cried out. All of the dragon-type looked at her with confusion._

"_Leave him alone." She said, turning towards them, her spear charging with magic."Before I tear you apart." The monsters retreated and he heard a sighed from his left. He had black hair and black eyes same with the girl's. He held a staff at one hand while the girl held a long purple spear._

"_Are you happy now?" he asked. "He's doing fine."_

"_Nah. You told me that even a kind act can be as powerful as a sword. Besides, I know that first-handed." she replied. "Remember?"_

_He ruffled her hair._

"_Stop it." she shouted. Her hairband dropped to the ground, revealing her long black hair. She picked it up and tied her hair again into a ponytail._

"_Come on." the boy said. "You're not scared are you?" Damien then realized he's asking him. He touched his own wound at the chest. He winced in pain. _

"_Let's just carry him until he's in the safe zone." the boy suggested. _

"_How old are you kids?" Damien asked out of curiosity. He was trying very hard not to lean against them too much in case they fell down as they couldn't take his weight. Surprisingly, they were strong for such kids._

"_I'm 8 this year." the boy answered his question. His mage robes dragged the dirt with them._

"_5." the girl said. Finally, they reached Leafre. Many of them raised their hands in greeting them. But they were a bit too impatient to wave back as Damien's blood soak their clothes. Even in just long pants and a white T-shirt, she could move fast._

"_I told you not to wear like that." the boy grumbled._

"_And you still complain when you lose in a running match." she muttered. "You get the aid."_

"_FINE!" he shouted at her, attracting lots of attention. He stomped of much to the girl's amusement. "Speaking of injuries. I've got one too huh?" She pointed at her arm which was bleeding from an earlier attempt from deflecting a certain idiot's blade._

_Damien regretted it. He almost killed her when he was scared almost to death when she suddenly appeared behind him and whispered, "Stand down."_

_After several days, they still visit him over time. When he finally parted ways with them, the girl gave him an apple for a snack._

"_Be safe okay!" she shouted. He smiled before fading into the forest. When he wanted to visit them again 5 years later, he heard that they have move out after a certain incident involving the girl. And that was 4 years ago._

_He was ashamed not knowing their names. He hoped to find them again after all, he has a debt to pay._

XXX

"How can you can control your dark mana and how come you can't?" Damien asked. Lea looked grim.

"I recently learned how to control it." she answered.

"Great." Damien sulked. "I was hoping you have more experience but instead you're just an overgrown brat." He got a slap at his face. Both of them winced although Lea had endured a lot in her past years.

Lea coughed a bit of blood, splattering the floor. Damien pushed her down then wiped her mouth with another cloth then dip the one on her forehead.

"Don't be reckless. I can see you barely even make it out alive." Damien chided.

"And if that happens…" Lea trailed off. She closed her eyes. Damien sighed.

XXX

**ワールドイズマイン ****BAR (Go check google to translate it. Inspired by Hatsune Miku)**

"Young master…" Crow said. Rikuo looked up with a 'hmm'.

"I thought you're supposed to be at the half-youkai village." Crow said.

"So? What's your point?" Rikuo asked.

"That you're slacking."

"So do you." Rikuo said coolly. Crow and Rikuo laughed.

XXX

**El Nath**

"Hm…." Aran muttered. Orchid was freezing even though she was wearing about 3 thick winter clothes much to her amusement.

"HOW CAN YOU STAND IN THESE KIND OF CLOTHES?!" Orchid asked, half-shouting. Wolfie gave a growl.

"You forgot." Aran said, tapping Orchid's forehead.

XXX

"Dragonstone?" Aran asked. They went to visit one of Lea's aunty, Aunty Lim.

"Yeap. It's suitable for someone like you. Who doesn't own a dragon." she said. "You said that you are born under the union of a wolf and a bird right?"

Aran nodded. Orchid looked confuse.

"Those who have dragon instinct. Like you. Are also unique. If you ask me who has more power. I will say you. Not Lea. She haven't reach the stage and I bet she's worried over a minor thing."

"Okay…" Aran said.

"You may not be a Dragon Slayer…but…think…there are cases of that but none like yours. People like you are bound to be powerful. Like the saying goes, never judge a book by the cover."

This time, Orchid nodded heartedly.

"True." Orchid said.

"But what does the Dragonstone do?" Aran asked. Aunty Lim raised her eyebrows, sipping a cup of tea.

"When you get it. You will know."

"I think I already know."

"Then? Why should you ask, my dear?"

"It pulls out the hidden potential, especially if I had one, from me right?" Aunty Lim nodded.

"Yes. The flames are inside you. That's why it makes you special. For us, we have dragons since birth. Until we manifest, then we could use our magic more effectively."

"And?"

"I can't explain. I sensed that you are one of the chosen ones…so as your other 4 friends. Your counterpart, he's just like a support right?" Aran looked disgust by her answer.

"Nope." Aran answered.

"Remember…do not forget. Fire burns everything and gives new life. That is your power and _yours _only." she advised. "That's what I would like to say but…even kind words can melt a cold heart."

Aran was touched on how much Aunty Lim is worried about her. She knew that it wasn't just empty words…

'_As if she's like a diviner. If she is…then I better take it well.' Aran thought. _

"Thanks. But we should get going." Aran said politely before she stood up with Orchid. As they left, Aunty Lim watched them sadly, knowing that they will have to help each other and work together with the other 3 Balancers yet to known to both sides.

XXX

**Edelstein, Estimated time, 3:00 p.m.**

"AGAIN!" Jake shouted. Valfor finally managed to do it but…

"TOO SLOW!"

"WHAT ARE YOU? COACH?!" Valfor retorted. Wendy started twitching which made Hetia and Claudine who were next to her to edge away.

"WHAT THE HELL!" Wendy screamed at the trio. "ARE! YOU! GUYS! DOING! HERE!"

"Training!" Jake roared. Wendy snapped as she teleported next to Jake and pushed Jake at the chest with one hand in a stance. He was pushed back but fell as he lost his balance.

"Yes?" Wendy asked seriously. Jake gulped.

"Forget it." Jake said as he broke into cold sweat.

"While you guys are busy fighting." Wendy said as cold as ice. "I have been desperately finding her whereabouts. Not only that…Aran will be in deep shit if we don't know what is it. Your aunty will probably say the same thing." she said sharply. Jake looked guilty.

"I'm sorry." Jake apologized. Wendy then turned away but gave them an evil eye the moment she saw them making lots of ruckus. The trio was silent in a second much to the other's amazement.

XXX

"We used to live in Leafre." Jake explained to Valfor and Luminous who was curious about their lives.

"Now that I think about it….argh…never mind…I forgot."

Valfor and Luminous looked even more puzzle.

"We can expect that he will be recruiting more people with unique abilities. I mean…really unique. Unlike anything we've ever seen before. He may want to use Lea for his own purpose. And if my vision is correct…we are going to need the 5 of the heroes and the 5 Balancers. All five dragons and their host."

Valfor covered his mouth in horror.

"I thought Lea has already did soul and body fusion with Order, Chaos and Talos?!" Luminous said, bewildred.

"You're going to be a hindrance if you don't let me finish." Jake barked as he folded his arms. "If I'm right…Lea will have to split with Order and Chaos to the new members which we haven't know yet. That will be like excruciating."

"It already sound like one." Valfor muttered. Jake scowled at him.

"That's not the point. I bet he has a lot of plans…plan behind plan."

"I agree." Luminous said. He knew first-hand and without Freud's wisdom and quick thinking, they would have fallen into a trap long ago.

"First thing first. We have to concentrate on finding Lea and free her." Jake pointed out. "And…we have to find out all your potential. I hope that we can come out with a good plan afterwards."

Jake suddenly remembered something then felt uncomfortable with the thought but decided to voice it out.

"I remembered there was one guy. He's like you Valfor." Jake begun. Valfor felt like vomiting.

"I wasn't even um…awaken yet." Valfor pointed out.

"Yeah…but…I remembered that we helped him and he was seriously injured. After a few weeks, he parted ways with us. And…Lea gave him an apple for a snack? I don't remember. Um….ahhh…"

"Apple was his favorite." Valfor mused. "Yep…must be Damien…" His expression darkened.

Jake paced around again. He was getting more agitated by each second as a horrible idea began to form. He may not know who is the remaining 3 Balancer but he knew that they were unique. He saw first-hand on how different both Lea and Dual from the others. Dual may be a 'Dual-Blader' but his skilled showed improvements and not only that his ability was still in the dark and he made it clear that he won't use it until they were in trouble.

Lea, who was a child who walked at a fine line of light and dark which show that she won't succumbed to neither darkness nor light and remain neutral unless forced to fight. Capable of manipulating time, darkness and light. The ideal idol who wanted to be the neutral one.

'_Dual….he is really like the darkness itself. He may be cheerful but he hid a lot of malice behind the mask. He scares me sometimes.' Jake thought still pacing around._

Luminous and Valfor now started to think about the chains of event that happen before they were awaken. Luminous tapped his forehead and began to think more. With his high I.Q, he was able to link the disasters and what causes it…sometimes.

Jake was the type who believes in justice, therefore, he would spare mercy to his enemies unless they decided to take a bold risk. Luminous believed in light but ever since the Black Mage's power started to corrupt him, he saw it in darkness and trying to achieve balance. Equilibrium which he recently managed to master under a new understanding from Lea who gave him a good advice last year and his mentor, Beowan.

At the same time, Wendy was struggling for information…and…music.

"I can't work with all these worries!" Wendy protested. Hetia patted her shoulder.

"Take a break." Hetia advised.

"Maybe you're right." Wendy said slowly. The bags at her eyes were more pronounced than ever, Hetia had a feeling that Lea was more to her than anything else. Hetia offered her hand and Wendy took it. She led Wendy to her cabin. As usual, her cabin was neat as her clothing was hung at the hangers which she personally bought it. At one corner, her study table was filled with papers and a laptop on it which was being charged.

The moment Wendy lay on the bed, without bothering to change; she slept as if her body said _you must sleep_. Hetia helped her to switch of the lights before closing the door silently behind her. After all, she wasn't the type to abandon her friends in dire situation.

XXX

**Time Temple**

"I'm starting to feel sick." Dual complained. Leviathan chuckled.

"Too bad." he said sarcastically. "Oh look…Jake, Evan and Lumi-" A book hit him at the eye.

"OUCH!"

Jake smiled a bit mischievously before Leviathan chased him. After so many hours coop up in the Time Temple, Dual was glad to have some company. He greeted Evan then Luminous.

Dual looked at the trio with curiosity. Jake managed to keep Leviathan out of his reach as Leviathan was growling and snarling at Jake with frustration. Dual felt the tension between Leviathan and Jake which made him uneasy but maintained his composure.

"What a surprise." Dual remarked. Jake grinned at him.

"Sure. Can we see Rhine?" Jake requested. Dual scowled at him.

"I don't know where she is. What do you want to confirm by asking her those questions?" Dual asked coldly. Evan was intimidated by Dual since he changed a lot since they last saw him. Due to his whining, Phantom finally gave up in keeping him in the airship.

Jake looked unfazed.

"I think that my vision is getting closer to reality." Jake explained as best as he could. Evan sighed. He was worried about Mir who was still in Henesys and was furious on how Jake managed _his _problem.

"Mir? In Henesys?!" Dual exclaimed. Evan was startled.

"And you _reading my mind?!" _ Evan demanded furiously. Instead of answering, Dual just waved his hand in the air before cutting the air with his hand, revealing a door of darkness.

"After you." Dual said cheerily with dark humor. Even Lea didn't give of this much dark aura. Jake pushed Evan to the portal.

"TATA!" Jake shouted as Evan felt weightless.

'_I'm going to kill you.' Evan thought darkly._

"Do you have to do that?" Dual and Luminous asked simultaneously. Both of them were looking at Jake with such fury that Jake was physically shrinking.

"No wonder Lea given up on you." Dual mused. Jake glared at him but it was more of sadness and worry than anger.

Jake did a 'yeah' half heartedly as Wendy's idea was bugging him. He knew they were close but was lost. Jake imagined a cross path in front of him.

"I know what you're thinking Jake." Leviathan said with worry. "What I'm more worried is…how are my sister and two annoying brothers are doing. I can't sense their presence all of the sudden. I'm sure that Aran felt the same with the link with her."

"Knowing her…her first priority will be protecting the dragons and the link." Dual voiced out his thoughts. Luminous was stunned.

"That will take loads of mana." Jake said for Luminous.

Jake perked up all of the sudden as he took out a piece of paper. He bit his thumb hard enough to bleed as he began writing on it. Dual did a face-palm.

Looking at him made Luminous uneasy as he knew it wasn't any ordinary art of magic. Dual left the duo alone as he began stacking the documents and researching about the Balancers' history. After 2 hours, he went to check on them and found Jake and Luminous having a serious conversation with branches of magic. Before he could do anything, Jake stopped his sentence mid-way.

"Blaaaaaaaa-oh hey!" Jake greeted. He gestured at the empty seat which Dual gratefully took it. Dual looked even paler than usual thanks to overworking and….

Dual passed out.

"That was fast." Jake said. His hand was on a stopwatch to calculate how fast Dual will be asleep. Compare to Lea, he lasted longer. Leviathan heaved a sighed as he gingerly lay on the floor. He sensed that another presence was here but was unable to pinpoint it.

In fact, Jake just summoned his staff and drew on the floor. Wherever he touched, a luminous glow appeared on the floor. Jake made a makeshift map of the Time Temple which was impressive. He made an X on a certain location which was surprisingly near them.

"I just want to talk." a voice said. Damien came out from his hiding place. Immediately, the duo was on guard while Leviathan let out a yawn much to the duo's dismay.

"Relax. He's just want to talk." Leviathan pointed out. Instead of lowering their weapons, they aimed at his vital points.

Jake noticed that his weapon was not out and he was unarmed.

'_He look freaking familiar…' Jake thought. _Shaking his head, he lowered his weapon since he realized that if he wanted to kill them, he would have done it earlier. They sat around the table with a tension so thick…that even Leviathan doubted that they would let him leave peacefully. Dual stirred but…

He could hear bits and bits of their discussion. An unfamiliar voice was talking. Dual remembered whenever there is darkness there is always light.

**Flashback, Dual 10 years old**

_Dual remembered of his memory when he hit ten. But…only his father remained and who was oblivious to Dual's sadness. As best as he could to Dual, to support both of them. He stared at the sky._

"_The world should be black." Dual muttered softly. "Not beautiful."_

"_Now. Now. Dual." his father began. Dual bit his tongue to prevent himself from talking back. Ever since his mother's death, he felt hollow as if somebody has taken part of his soul away. To him, his mother was his light. His father too, was his light until his mother's death._

_To him, his father was a man with good points. He wondered why bad things happen to good people and why good things happen to bad people. Streaks of tears fell onto the ground where his mother laid. After two months, flowers began to grow on the ground. _

_Touching his mother's gravestone, he winced in pain. Her death is still fresh in his mind._

"_Dual…" his father began. "It's already a year right?" Dual nodded. His father put his hand in his pocket and took out a letter. Dual always recognize that handwriting. _

"_Your mother asked me to hand over this letter when you reached your birthday. And it's today." he explained under Dual's confuse look. Dual took it gingerly as if the paper will turn into ashes. His hand was shaking so badly that he almost tore it. By the time he read it, he felt like a cold fist has clenched his heart. His mother has been keeping a secret from him._

_He's the direct descendant of Ethan Nightwalker, the prince of dragons. Original host of Leviathan, the Dragon of Darkness. After that, he ran away from his father who looked grim. _

'_He already knew the truth…why nobody tell me that? AND WHAT'S GOING ON?!' Dual thought. He never returned until the next day where he found his house been ransacked by the bandits (not the Dark Lord disciples). Dual found him dead, lying on his pool of blood._

"_Dad?" Dual asked as despair filled him. He looked at his hands which was soak with his father's blood. Then, he realized how he died. His chest was stabbed by a single dagger. Dual wanted to believe this was all a dream but in vain._

_He scrambled backwards, feeling weak._

"_What's the point of having power?! WHY CAN'T I SAVE AT LEAST A PERSON?! WHY!" Dual screamed. "ANSWER ME!" he screamed at nobody in particular. The flames were suddenly sucked away and a lady stood nearby. It was his mom._

"_Mother…why are you here?" Dual asked, he knew she was dead. He saw her death with his own eyes. Instead of answering she merely point at the sky where the dark clouds were rolling in._

"_What?" Dual asked again, irritated. His mother merely smile._

"_Don't worry." she said."Every cloud has a silver lining. Things happen for a reason. And you have a great destiny ahead of you. I'm merely a spirit. Fate was kind to at least warn you and a message."_

_Dual remained silent, he wasn't surprise after all these years. Little things that happen in his life were worth to keep. _

"_And it's called memories." Dual told himself. His mother nodded in agreement. When she tried to caress his cheek, her hand seemed to disappear but Dual can feel a gentle breeze at his cheek. He looked down and made up his mind. His father knew that he would die someday and leave him but not without a blessing._

"_That's right my dear." his mom said. "Memories can't be erase that easily. By the way," She pulled out a dagger out of thin air. She dropped it onto the ground which Dual picked it up. Although Dual wasn't a big fan of weapons, he could tell that the craftsmanship was amazing._

"_Use it when you're in trouble. This will give you breathing room for at least…until you have reached your fullest potential." she continued. Dual sighed. He was calm and collected thanks to his family's gift._

_Dual turned towards his mom who was now rising back to the heavens._

"_Thank you mum. I love you." he whispered. He took his father's corpse, as hard as it might be, he didn't give up. He carried it or more appropriate dragged it towards his mother's grave. He dug a hole which took hours for a boy of his age and lowered his corpse. He closed his father's eyes._

"_Love you dad. I will make you guys proud. I promise." Dual promised as he covered his father's corpse with a heavy heart. Then, he picked flowers which were blooming at the season. He settled it on the ground and left with the dagger at his side._

_That's when he began his journey as a 'Dual-Blader'._

_And to the boy he was, to the boy he never was._


	9. Chapter 9 Bonds

**A/N: My exams just finished. Thanks Bombing for updating your story! I recommend you guys to read 'Gnossienne'. Pretty awesome.**

* * *

"What. Do. You. Mean." Jake said fiercely. Damien sighed. Then, he toss him a necklace.

"That's Lea's." Luminous exclaimed.

"I took it secretly away from her. Under _his orders._" Damien snarled. "Now would you believe me?!"

"So basically, she's injured, disarmed and what?" Jake growled. "I don't like him but now I don't like him even more. Last I check, he tormented Lea in her dreams."

"Tormented?" Damien demanded.

"Forget it. I won't tell you. But what is your reason for being here?" Jake asked. Damien hesitated.

"You have to rescue her. She's in danger a lot more than I thought." Damien explained slowly. He winced, his injuries from his bout from Lea haven't fully recovered yet.

"And I doubt you will reveal-" Jake started. Leviathan snarled.

"Do you think it's so easy?" Leviathan asked in his dangerous tone. They knew that his patience was thin. Dual was finally awake, he looked grim.

'_Do you know any of this place?' Dual asked. Leviathan snorted in his mind._

'_Duh. But I'm not going there and __**definitely **__not alone.' Leviathan answered. _Dual smiled.

Damien regarded him a bit coldly but when they locked eyes, they knew they were the same in one way or another. Dual laughed unexpectedly.

"Really?" Dual said, wiping the tears from his eyes. "It's so funny."

XXX

**5 hours later**

Damien left peacefully. Jake, Luminous and Dual have to pondered over the problem whether Lea was fine or not and more importantly, her whereabouts.

"By what he say, it's horrible." Jake said then he shuddered.

Leviathan nodded.

"It's really hard to find." Leviathan said, giving Dual that 'shut-up-before-I-eat-you-or-tear-you-to-shreds' look. He did it so fast that Luminous and Jake thought they were imagining things. Dual tapped the table with his fingers making that 'cloppery-clop' sound.

"So…find any good place lately?" Dual asked, changing the subject. Jake gave him a disappointed look with a dejected shook. Jake looked pissed off all of the sudden.

'_Can't be help. He's too worried and he like Lea.' Dual thought apparently out of topic. 'What am I thinking?' _He felt protective of Lea but it was Lea who helped him more than he helped her.

"I see Lea as my mother sometimes." Dual confided. "And he took back the necklace." grumbled Dual.

"Yeah." Jake muttered softly, not loud enough for the both of them to hear. "And I changed her diapers when she was younger." He cackled.

Luminous stared at him with disbelief. That was the first for him.

"If she was here, she would point out lots and lots of embarrassment in the past. Dang. She got a sharp memory for mine and Crow's and how many people also I'm not freaking sure." Jake complained. Dual nodded.

"Can we contact any of the dragons?" Luminous asked. Instead of answering, Leviathan nudged Dual at the same time, telepathing him, _'It's time.'_

Dual sighed. He wasn't ready to share with them, the Balancers' secrets.

"Come with me." Dual said in his monotone voice. He walked away leaving Jake and Luminous scrambled out of their seats. By the time they caught with him, they were almost lost which was a close call for the duo. Dual was standing in front of a simple carving. Or that's what Jake and Luminous thought until Dual said, "Aperi."

"That's Latin." Jake remarked stupidly. Luminous and Dual rolled their eyes.

Dual scoffed at him then the carving glowed, revealing 5 marks representing Talos, Chaos, Order, Luminate and last but not least, Leviathan. The moment Jake saw them, he widen his eyes with shock and stumbled backwards. He landed on his bum.

"That's not possible." Jake mumbled. "I thought they were lost. Lea told me so."

Leviathan snorted.

"She have to lie." Leviathan said with disgust. "She has no choice. Because she knew that she was being watched. Especially from that _scum_."

"Wait…so it's true, huh…" Jake said dejectedly. Luminous had no idea what they were going on about.

"Back to the point. Touch Talos's symbol." Dual invited Jake. Jake did and for a moment, he felt his fingers tingling. He closed his eyes and felt that he was in somebody's mind.

'_I see you're here.' Talos greeted. He was in a barrier shaped like a ball. But it didn't matter because Jake approached it and stroke him. Talos groaned a little._

'_We're safe.' Talos explained. 'For now.'_

'_She knew this would happen, eh?' Jake remarked. Talos shook his head._

'_No.' He turned away from Jake. 'She knew that we are in danger or at least dreamt about it.'_

'_Not with that again.' _

'_It's important. She won't last long. She's purposely making __**him**__ angry so that he would kill her which save this generation's trouble. But then again, he wouldn't. Not after the last time he killed Eri-'_

'_Safe it. Status report please.' Jake said in his commando voice. Talos's eyes twinkled._

'_As I have mention earlier, we are safe for now. She's playing a dangerous game with the Black Mage. If I can bet, I would put my money on Lea and more importantly Dual. He needs to know how to unlock his new powers.'_

'_What powers?' Jake asked suspiciously. He wasn't really thrilled to hear another weird power. But this time Talos was silent and was laughing at him._

'_I will let Leviathan explain to you. Oh, by the way, only Dual can find this place. Mark my words.' Talos said before swiping the connection with Jake away._

Jake almost have a floor-palm when he was swiped at. While he was doing that, Leviathan sealed the symbols again. Then, went back to his comfortable host.

"Talos…" Jake growled. Jake started cussing much to Dual's amusement.

"It's like music to my ears." Dual confessed to Luminous. Luminous made a sour face.

"You call that music?" Luminous said with a tone of disbelief. Dual laughed as Luminous's made that bewildered face again. Luminous was getting angrier with each second pass until Dual stopped under his very threatening glare. He raised his staff threateningly at Dual who gulped.

"Fine." Dual grumbled for no apparent reason. Luminous began to suspect that he is very vital to them and more importantly to…something.

Luminous shook his head as he dismissed the thought before pondering what to do and how to protect Lania from him. After all, Aran can take care of herself.

XXX

**Rien**

"I wonder how you survived this kind of cold with this kind of clothes." Orchid mused. She sneezed. Aran gave her an irritated look before tracing something onto a piece of paper. Orchid could tell that Aran had something worse or knew that they haven't know yet.

Aran sighed before tossing it at the corner. There was a knocked on the door before Lilin came inside. She hold a book in her arms. She was looking at Orchid wearily before passing Aran the book.

"Finally." Aran said with happiness. Orchid was extremely curious on what Aran was reading and anxiously waited for her to explain.

XXX

In the end, she waited in vain as they were travelling again. This time, Orchid no longer wore the fashionable type from Edelstein but rather…

"Lilac goth?" Aran remarked with amazement. "Really? These 300 years must have changed your fashion sense like crazy or maybe…" She dropped into a whisper, "I bet you will be the same emo girl like when I set my eyes on you."

"It's not fun to have you messing around trying to get food just because it's a part of your training." Orchid snapped back. Aran made a face at her which was difficult since they were now jumping cliff over cliff. Orchid looked at the ground and yelped. They were so high up and Wolfie was jumping cliffs which were taller than them which were supposed to be impossible.

At the same time, Aran felt thrilled by how much Wolfie has grown and was screaming with joy. Orchid was hugging her tightly which made Aran laughed half-way. Finally, they reached the highest cliff which was located at Perion. Wolfie panted and was grateful even for a tiny rest.

Orchid stared at her when Aran took out a handphone.

"You just came here to get a better reception." Orchid said without enthusiasm. Aran laughed as she put her hand over the phone before giving Orchid a 'what-do-you-think' look. She purposely called Dual but unfortunately, the line was terrible as Dual's voice and static kept clashing with each other.

"What's going on at your side?" Aran asked after a while. She could barely hear anything with a noise over a phone.

"Damien. Just. Visited." Dual answered calmly. He started cussing when he heard any static. Apparently, it was getting more frequent these days.

"Look." Aran shouted. "If you can. Try to avoid trouble. I have to find _it._"

Dual pitied her. It wasn't an easy journey. He scoffed at the phone.

"Assuming you survive the trail, give me some souvenirs for 5 of us. Maybe bring 10. I had a feeling that the final battle will arrive but not so soon. He needs time to recover." Dual said.

"So do we." Aran finished for him. Orchid was sitting on the rocky ground, thirsty.

Wolfie looked at her and grunted.

"Moving already?" Wolfie asked. Aran and Orchid was on her back in a second.

"Yes." Aran answered. Again, they jumped from cliff to cliff, this time, going downwards.

XXX

**Unknown Area**

He stood at his throne. Memories of the original 5 Balancers were playing in his mind.

'_How I miss those days.' he thought. _

**2000 years ago (The Black Mage POV)**

_I stood side by side with my two friends, Alice and Rhine. We watched as two girls and three boys fought with each other. It was amusing too see them fight and also memorable._

"_Oh…here he goes again." Alice said sweetly. I was confused until I saw one of them, if I'm not mistaken, his name is Ethan. He knocked one of the girl's head and made her cry. The older one released a cry of outrage and slapped him._

_I winced. It looked painful too me at least._

"_Poor boy." I muttered._

"_Well, he started it." Rhine pointed out, carrying an egg which she found not too long ago. Wait…to be more appropriate, a week ago. It was glowing faintly. I sighed then look at the image again._

_Seeing them made us all laugh because of their epic arguments. It was funny. But I didn't know that the situation was going to get even more interesting. I impatiently tapped at the side of the water to zoom onto the siblings. Now they were both fighting each other._

_It was amusing. Because the girls were having a verbal showdown with them. Clearly the boys were losing. Alice smiled, trying hard to keep a straight face but I gave her a questioning look and she gave me a sharp tapped on my shoulder. I yelped._

_Somehow, seeing those together gave me a warm feeling. It wasn't the light inside of me. I knew it but I continued to dismiss that feeling._

_I decided to hear their conversation with Rhine and Alice._

_They both gave me 'o-what-an-idiot' look._

"_What?" I demanded like a child. Unfortunately, I'm already a young man like those two women who looked young. They sighed in defeat._

"_You're a super idiot." the duo remarked. I ignored them as I heard the girls shouting. Immediately, I covered my ears._

"_That's some big words they're using." I remarked with amazement. I couldn't tell what were the two girls were thinking. They smiled smugly at me which I returned with a sour expression. Yeah…I knew how troublesome it is to argue with a girl. They. ALWAYS. Win. The. FIGHT._

**Present**

He shook himself out of the memory. After all these years, his human side continued to interfere with him. After a moment of silence, he decided to check on Lea. He smirked.

His footsteps echoed the empty dungeon except for one. Lea was on the floor, dazed. Damien was treating her as best as he could but her injuries were too much.

'_Smart…but not smart enough. A soul descendant from Erika…no doubt…they must be stopped before they joined forces to save her.' he thought. _He started to enhance the security inside the cell. Now only he and Damien could enter at will.

"Damien…" he said. Damien looked up at him.

"If she wants to leave, she needs…" He took a purple star pendant which once belongs to Erika. "This to get out."

Lea tried to look at it but immediately groaned.

"I know you have a death wish." He began. "I won't repeat that mistake again." This time with regret.

Lea heard it and knew that she was just an easy pick for him. She struggled to get up but Damien pushed her back down. Lea started thinking of possibilities to escape but couldn't do it without some help and especially those who doesn't know how to shadow-travel like Dual or Crow.

"Waaaaaaaaaiiii-" Lea started but he was gone. Her eyes rolled backwards and she hit Damien hard on the chest. The wind just got knock out of Damien. He stroked her hair away from her eyes and found that she was extremely cute. Even when she was sleeping.

He could only hope that they have a plan to rescue her, much more, healing her injuries. He knew that the damage that his master did on her was no longer excusable.

'_I just want to see my sister and mother.' he told himself. 'But then again…was I any better than him?'_

He hold her closely too him, warming her as best as he could. She stopped shivering after a while and snuggled closer to him, forgetting that this isn't her home or her brothers. Damien felt hot and flustered but since she was so close to him, he decided that this wasn't a bad thing.

But he was careful not to get too close, he knew that his relationship with her won't be a good one. He saw a chance with her but knew…that it would turn sour sooner or later. Little did he realized how wrong he was in the next few years.

He hadn't realized that he had fallen asleep until he heard a groan. He opened his eyes and yawned. Lea was glaring at him but with a twinkle. He ruffled her hair. She blushed much to his amazement. Then, he also blushed until Lea gave him that familiar smirk again with a glint in her eyes. Lea winced a bit, her injuries, as best as he could treat them, was healing very slowly.

"I wonder how she even survived…" Lea mused. Damien looked confused. He realized that he like her a lot like the girl 10 years ago. He wondered how she was doing. He touched her scar on the cheek which was a painful souvenir from his master. It was small but it also makes her fierce and convincing compare to last time when she looked innocent.

"COLD!" Lea exclaimed, hugging him again. It was awkward for him.

'_Why do I have to take care of this girl?' Damien asked himself._

XXX

**Ariant**

"Now I know why it's so freaking hot." Aran said. Valk and Baru glared at him.

'_He's hopeless.' both of them thought at the same time and doing a face-palm._

"I heard that!" Aran yelled, his voice echoing the whole lab. Now the metal monsters were locked onto them. It was supposed to be a spying mission in the end thanks to Aran, they were in trouble.

"I will kill you." Valk threatened the duo. They have to fight their way out and they were worn out thanks to a certain idiot who was so clumsy tripped himself over just one piece of metal.

"I wonder why in battle you are so strong." Baru began.

"But when it comes to social life…" Valk continued.

"YOU SUCK at IT." both of the said simultaneously.

"Nope. You can ask her later. It's just that I'm uncomfortable with people." Aran confessed.

"But you're pretty good with the girls and guys in the past?" Baru mused. "That's just weird."

"It's better than strange." Aran pointed out. They were running for their lives and only Valk is jumping thanks to Ven who was seat was occupied by Baru and Aran. When they were finally out of the lab, they stumbled onto Mercedes who was just sight-seeing Magatia as she heard that Magatia was still around.

Mercedes narrowly dodged Valk but Sylvidia wasn't so lucky as she got hit by her neck. She neighed and was crashed into a store. The storekeeper screamed before they collided with her shop with her screaming. Mercedes resisted the urged to kill them.

"Hello." Mercedes said as cold as ice. And they knew they were in deep shit.

"RUN!" Valk advised them and they ran. They have to push everybody out of their way. Luckily, Phantom was waiting nearby…just near the entrance. When he saw a woman chasing them, he suspected that it was a shopkeeper. Sylvidia neighed and flew off with Mercedes, leaving the boys alone.

He held them tight while Baru grabbed his shoulder and they went towards Phantom ship. As usual, using 'To The Skies'. They landed on the deck and Valk got kick out much to their amazement (except for Phantom).

"Oh, he's safe." Phantom reassured them as he went back to the inside where Luminous was reading and apparently taking advantage of his free time to slack. He was surprised to see Baru and Aran then greeted them with a nod before he went back to reading.

"Freaking bored." Phantom complained. Luminous nodded without any enthusiasm. That was the reason why he was reading book. To kill time. Phantom droned on and on as he complained about being bored and wasting time and what he could do last time if he had a time like this. Baru shot him an irritated look as he and Aran started to discuss on training and if possible, making their own skills which is very hard.

"I mean. You have to make your own incantation. For mages it's easy." Baru said. Aran nodded.

"Unfortunately, I'm not great in magic." Aran said, depressed.

"But you were born with one." Baru whispered. He just made things worst. Aran was now at the corner of the room tracing the floor with circles muttering to himself, "I'm so useless."

Baru wanted to slap some sense into his head but suspect that it would have to wait as he have other matters to deal with. He whistled for Ven and patted him on the head. He already sensed that their enemies are starting to make their move. He gave Phantom a meaningful look before turning to look out at the porthole and watched the fluffy clouds pass by. At the same time, he took out a dagger and flipped it, amazingly, having been killed yet thanks to his good reflexes. It's blade was between his fingers which made Aran amazed.

The bond between them deepen after a few days which surprised Phantom and Luminous as they thought they were going to fight with each other.

XXX

**Somewhere at Victoria Island**

"It's already five days." Aran said with frustration. "The map is useless." She tore the map apart much to Orchid's disappointment. They were looking for something but even Aran wasn't sure as she had a short memory of it and she checked the book for reference which was supposed to be with Lea but luckily Lilin had an extra.

Unfortunately for Orchid, she can't read their language. Aran growled a bit before deciding to set up camp, without any barrier to protect them, they were vulnerable.

'_Slowly but surely, she's getting more mature…' Orchid thought. _She watched her muttering something under her breath before she took her bag and put her head on top of it, watching the starry sky. Orchid too, stared at the starry sky before she dozed off and slept.

Aran was sure that Lea was somewhere around Victoria Island like Sleepywood but after seeing it first-hand last time, she wasn't so sure. She knew that she won't be able to rescue her friend in this condition. She saw bits of golden light floating around aimlessly which surprised her because that's the first time. She wanted to wake Orchid up but decided against it. Instead, she made Orchid lay on top of Wolfie who was still awake and extremely exhausted. She hasn't realized that a scar which has escaped her notice for many years was beginning to form on her right shoulder in a star shape.

XXX

It was already dawn. Aran was at the stoking the fire vigorously, ignoring the monsters as best as she could. She can tell that they were scared of her due to her aura. One by one, the monsters, from Slimes to came out from their hiding places and watched the trio. Orchid was still snoring. Aran suspected it was due to the flames which attracted them.

But compare to her past, this was nothing. The Black Mage's minions always tried to take her away but failed thanks to Afrien's sense of smell and their sense of magic. Not only that, thanks to Freud's complicated spells which will detect an intruder and multiple securities, they were able to escape their notice.

"Shh…" Aran said softly to Orchid who was stirring from her sleep. Orchid wisely edge towards the fire and warming herself with Aran. Then, she looked at Aran closely and noticed something else, the necklace which used to wear so much in the past was gone.

"Where's your bangle which you used to wear so much?" Orchid whispered. Aran stared at her with a confuse look.

"I had no idea what are you talking about." Aran answered. Orchid felt guilty, the bangle which Aran used to wear after she escaped from them was in her pocket.

"Isn't it time for them to go away?" Aran pointed out. She noticed they were getting closer, bit by bit. The wind has stopped for a moment and Aran gripped her pole arm tightly.

"I'm too weak so you have to protect me." Orchid said faintly. To prove her point, she stood up, staggering. Aran sighed. With that single movement of her pole arm, she obliterated almost every monster surrounding them except for Orchid's and Wolfie's side. Wolfie was doing a good job in distracting the bigger ones while Orchid dodged their every attack despite her injuries. Her wounds reopened thanks to the monsters furious attacks.

Within an hour or so, the dead corpses were around their area. Aran pinched her nose, she never like the smell of it at the first place. She stomped the ashes which were glowing amber red before heading out with Wolfie and Orchid. Orchid was now at the front much to her own confusion.

"Why?" Orchid asked as they passed through the green grass out from Sleepywood. They were now at the Six Path's Crossway where the 6 town paths intercept with each other and the entrance to Sleepywood. After a moment or two, they decided to rest for a few hours and have breakfast. Since it was still early, not many people camped at their area.

"Hm?" Aran said, noticing the golden light was glowing brightly as if indicating that she should move towards that area. Something about it made her uneasy. She kept quiet. Unfortunately, it was starting to block her vision she waved it away but it kept coming back much to her frustration and Orchid was wondering what Aran was doing already with her weird actions.

'_Just follow the light. The spirits want to help you…' a familiar voice said to Aran. _Aran was at the point of throwing tantrum. She almost did until Orchid and some other passer-by were staring at her curiously. She grunted.

Aran decided that the next time she take a bath, she was going to wash her body for three hours straight to get rid of the smell which was still lingering on them.

"Man, we stink." Aran remarked.

* * *

**A/N: I will explain more with detail in the next chapter and those who have questions on what is their connection and why Lea is called 'Child Of Aran' like Baru likewise.  
**


	10. Chapter 10 Memories

"Come on." Aran grumbled. They were deep in the forest and could barely see anything as the tall trees blocked the light. The only source of light is Aran's torchlight. They kept stumbling over the tree roots and once Orchid had a nice size knot on her forehead as she hit one of the trees accidentally. Because of that, Aran had to treat it immediately much to their dismay as time was ticking.

The spirits which were guiding them was now agitated by something. After following their directions which seemed hours, they finally arrived at the entrance of a tomb. When they took a closer look, they found it as fake as there was an underground passage leading to somewhere. Aran looked at it ruefully.

"I hope you don't have claustrophobia." Aran muttered in a matter of fact voice. She was shivering thanks to the bitter cold. Aran glanced at Orchid who was looking at it fearfully.

"As I thought…" Aran muttered to herself as she stepped inside. She almost slipped thanks to the slippery algae. She gritted her teeth then shined her torchlight to the floor, revealing green slimy floors everywhere.

"Stay here." Aran ordered Wolfie. Wolfie nodded as she did a circle before lying on the floor. As she did so, Aran stepped carefully with Orchid following her lead. Once in a while, she felt a sharp pain at her head. She thought it was low but then…the place surprised them as it was actually quite wide and not really have tight spaces at all.

The torches around them were still blazing with life much to their surprise. Because of that, Aran switched her torchlight off and examined the walls. She dare not touch the algae. Orchid sighed as she put a hand on Aran's shoulder before gesturing at the floor. The algae showed a pair of footprints heading straight ahead. They followed it as best as they could without slipping and sliding.

They heard voices as they came to the end of the trail. They strained their ears but even they could not distinguish the words being said. Aran sensed danger all of the sudden and she turned around very slowly. She screamed at the sight of a face.

"Wait!" it called. Hands came to remove it revealing a cheeky face underneath. "It's so fun to scare you girls. And how did you find us?" But Orchid and Aran was stunned and hugging each other too much to answer back. The cheeky boy removed the ridiculous camouflage costume off, revealing just a boy around 7 or 8. Aran squinted a bit as the spirits swirled around him like a sign.

"Evelyn!" the boy called out. "Check it out." A girl's head popped out from the doorway, looking annoyed. But her expression soften when she just saw Aran and Orchid looking scared but at the same time, somehow cute. She gestured at them, her clothes surprisingly stylish.

'_She have a good taste.' Both of them thought at the same time as they followed her. _The boy slid towards them much to their amusement. Aran grabbed him by his collar and immediately released him as she felt some charge of power from him. Orchid noticed her when she started too looked at the boy suspiciously.

When Aran looked at her, she saw that the spirits were also swirling around her.

"Um…where are your parents?" Aran asked curiously. They both jumped which was dangerous. They didn't realize they were going the other way until Aran saw one or two carvings.

"So familiar…" she remarked. Her head was pounding right now and the spirits were starting to dispersed and reforming again. Aran stumbled unexpectedly, wincing. She thought she started to see things until she found like five-ghostlike child. One of them looked like Erika and they started leading the way.

"Wait…" Aran said. "I remember this place…"

"Neal…" Evelyn called urgently. Her little brother nodded. He offered his small hand with a grin. They too can see them without any of the stranger realizing. They both saw the spirits swirled around Aran fretfully as if trying to tell them that she is important.

Orchid followed the two siblings with Aran leaning heavily onto her. Orchid tried her best but it wasn't easy. Maha came out of the pole arm and started teasing her.

"Not now." Aran groaned. After a few minutes of slipping and sliding, they finally arrived at a place where there were no algae as if the dragons wanted to protect it. Orchid, Evelyn and Neal hit an invisible barrier. Maha winced at the sight of it. He retreated back to his physical form without Aran's consent. Aran suddenly felt her head clear. Memories of the place came back to her.

**When the two Aran were 12 years old, Unknown year.**

"_Aran!" the boy called. She looked up. _

"_What?!" the girl Aran asked, startling Gray by her side. He looked excited as he pulled his counterpart away from Gray and showed a hidden entrance in their village._

"_I finally found the exit to it!" he explained. She sighed, following him and was constantly reminded of her bad memories. She shivered then she followed until something caught her eye. She gasped with surprise and approached towards it. Then, her counterpart saw her gaze towards the item. Both of them looked at it cautiously not willing to touch it._

_Something pushed them from behind and they touched it. The moment they did it, they saw a vision about them and the others. They felt nauseous and from then on, they have visions of the future about themselves and someone who looks like them in appearance except for the eye and hair colour. _

_Everytime the girl Aran had a vision, she drew it since she was good in drawing. While her counterpart tried to explain to their friends. When they wanted to find the underground passage again, it mysteriously disappeared after that day. They searched for it desperately and they both have dreams that doesn't make sense until they found it happening to them._

_Once they tried asking like a diviner for an answer. Instead of answering, they just shook their head and mimed a zip or asked them to get out._

_When the girl Aran visited her dear friend, Aria, she told her about the visions._

_Aria just crossed her legs and nodded, listening attentively to her. Once in a while, she will interrupt her for a clarification. The girl Aran always brought her drawings with her to share her secret with Aria. Aria suggested that she put it into the time capsule. _

_The girl Aran agreed. After that, it seemed that her life went back to normal except for the visions which continued to haunt her. Once, her counterpart's grandmother said that they were both very tense in their sleep and sometimes clenching their bed sheets tightly as if something will take them away._

_Except that it was true. They were sick about for a week thanks to the horrible visions of deaths. And they shared only that secret to themselves. Not to their family. Not to their Rolu's friends. Even her counterpart's grandmother had no idea what was going on with them. _

_They tried to look for answer but failed miserably. The girl Aran drew more and more frequently until she drew the details both dreams and visions accurately. Many people complimented her as they said it look real. Instead of being flattered, all she felt was dread that she never had before. Each time they complimented her drawing, she looked at them seriously and said softly, "You're right."_

_Her counterpart had worse problem as she observed. Nobody believed him except for her. _

"_Do you people want to follow me for a meeting?" the boy Aran's grandmother asked. They both looked at her and nodded half-heartedly. They were too worried about the visions and for the girl Aran was worse. The mark on her hands kept glowing brightly, scaring the wits out of them in a wrong timing. Aran was almost used to it. Almost._

_In fact, the meeting was at Ereve and they saw Luminous and a few familiar people over there. The girl Aran kept reassuring Aria as she was nervous to take the lead. Aran kept her spirits up by clowning around which surprise many people over there including Luminous. But when the meeting started, they were in a serious mode and they had to endure a lot of accusations and many of them protested until the girl Aran slammed the table to shut them up. She glared at them especially the one who was setting things up. Aria looked at her a bit annoyed._

_Aran did a duck face towards her counterpart._

"_Really? Politics again?" the girl Aran grumbled. All of them looked guilty except for the kids that doesn't know what's going on. "I thought we have more something which has more trouble than polictics…."_

_Luminous agreed with her with a nod. Lucia frowned at him. She wasn't expecting him to agree but she knew that they had more troublesome things to attend to. _

"_I agree." Lucia said softly but enough for them to hear. All of them sighed especially Aran and she covered her hands again as best as she could as the mark began to glow again. Lucia stared at it and found Aran looking embarrassed. Aran winced a bit then again, Aria gave her a look of concern which she cut it off with a glance and a nod. Aria nodded at her meekly before the meeting was concluded. _

_XXX_

_The duo woke up in cold sweat. They were afraid to go back to sleep thanks to that. They slipped out of their bed and started walking around, barefoot. They weren't in the same room but they managed to find each other and comfort each other. They both watched the sky and wondered how wonderful it would be without war and where everybody can leave in peace without having the Black Mage around. Causing chaos everywhere._

_After a while, they decided to go back to bed but the presence of Empress Aria who was wandering around the flower garden and seemed to be waiting or watching for someone. The two Arans' curiosity grew more as they peek at her. The girl Aran decided not to beat the bushes as she approached Aria, surprising her._

"_Aria…you should have warn the guards if you are going to wonder around and it's best to tell them your location." the girl Aran said softly. She rubbed her eyes then dragged her counterpart, who was extremely embarrassed as he only met her once. He bowed in a formal way at her but Aria just smiled. _

"_Well…does the visions bother you that much?" she asked. The duo nodded._

"_It's kinda…." the girl Aran began. Looking for words to describe it but came out empty-handed. Aria understood then gestured that they should go back to sleep. It wasn't easy but the girl Aran was stubborn as she insisted that Aria had to go back to sleep. Aria instead escorted her friend to her own room before asking her counterpart to take care of her._

_Instead of going back out, she sat beside her and eventually was drifted towards dreamland. At the same time, the guards noticed that Empress Aria had escaped from her room again and searched for her as much as possible. They didn't realize that she was with the Arans until the next morning when the trio came out of the room, stretching. _

_The girl Aran cut them off with a glare and without a doubt, she has a silent authority around here. _

"_Aran." Her counterpart said. She twisted her head. She gave him a questioning look then he faltered. He doesn't know what to say after all. Within the space of a year, they have gotten surprisingly close. The girl Aran started to try remembering what happen on the particular day but the details was like trying to grasp the water with your hands._

_On the table, she kept toying with her food but then stop as it was rude and began to eat it dutifully. She was already annoyed by the guards who were now like a statue thanks to her while Aria was wandering off again. They decided to head towards the library to kill time. Apparently, most of the mages were there already as they heard the rumor about a super rare skill book which only happen once-in-a-thousand-years book._

"_What?" the girl Aran said when one of them bravely asked her. "That's just the rumor I made up to watch the magicians search for it like a cat chasing a mouse." She crushed their spirits with just one sentence. Even Lucia and Luminous were bewildered and was stunned to their core._

_Aria rubbed her head, looking a bit cheeky._

"_Really? I never thought you would do that." Aria said as she caught a book which the girl Aran had thrown it down. Her counterpart left the library with about two or three thick storybooks._

"_Too bad. Mom asked me." she replied cheekily. She then jumped down from the ladder and slid with the stairs railing. The library was huge because of that, Aria and Aran had a habit from their younger days of coming to the library and taught each other subjects. Once, Aran told Aria seriously that some things can't be experience from a book. It was a pearl of wisdom from her deceased parents._

_They both sat opposite each other and began to the maths which were advance for their age._

_As they did so, Luminous and Lucia decided to crash their party as they studied light magic. They took this opportunity to learn more about each other just in case they have to work. Besides, their master, Beowan wanted them to observe more about the ex-disciple of the commanders of the Black Mage._

"_And I really wanted to know-" Lucia whispered to Luminous but was immediately hushed by Aria and Aran who was concentrating on their work. _

"_No. You follow this formula." Aran began tapping the paper which had the formula on. "Then this one."_

_Aria put the finger to her lips and did a fake mustache as she pouted a bit._

"_Well…um…but if you have to factorize it. It would be a different matter right?" Aria pointed out. Aran nodded._

"_That's why you have to use this formula." Aran repeated herself. "Try it. And…" she turned to face Lucia and Luminous. "Please continue your study."They were startled. They haven't expected her to be this easy-going and Aran looked down and scowled. _

"_Eh? I thought you weren't around." a woman said. Both Aria and Aran shook their head in unison._

"_Well then. Go and play. It's not for the time for you kids to be involve in war." she said as she approached them. She had long brown hair and tied it in a feminine style. She wore a simple dress and strode gracefully towards them. They both look up, looking weary as they had enough lectures from both adults and kids alike who said they weren't suppose to be involve in war. Some understood them, some did not. But most of them did not know how much they went through until they were involved in war. Empress Aria had no choice and wanted a peaceful solution despite her friend's protest._

_Aran sighed. It was a naïve hope for them but there was a possibility. Aran wanted to hide Aria from their sight but she knew it would be useless. She had doubts that they will attack her unless they were willing to try to get her back. But she knew it would be useless. Then a thought occurred to her._

"_Aria." Aran said, interrupting Aria on her maths. She looked up and did a 'hmmm'._

"_Do you think they will try to get me back?" she asked softly but not loud enough for Luminous and Lucia to hear much to their frustration. Aria tapped her cheek thoughtfully._

"_You said it yourself. There is a good possibility and it could be worse." Aria said slowly, trying to calm Aran down. Aran was shivering due to fear._

"_He stinks." Aran remarked, pinching her noise. "It reminds me of a rotten corpse except it is still alive. Walking and talking."_

_Aria rolled her eyes. She had never understood what Aran was talking about. Once she said there was an intruder and she was right. Once, an intruder disguised himself as a guard to assassinate either Aria or her parents. Aran also had a knack of telling what will happen next when she was young. _

_Now, Aran was drawing a picture which she saw in her vision. She did a quick sketching about a thief and Aria which made her extremely confuse. She kept it as best as she could as she wanted to show it to her counterpart. Then, she did another sketching, which horrified her because it showed that the person was holding Aria's broken form. She tried to steady her breathing. Aria noticed and tried to soothe her nerves._

_Aran took a shaky breath before excusing herself and ran out of the library. Tears were forming in her eyes and she ran as long as she could before hugging herself. She didn't realize she was next to Shinsoo who heard her sobbing. Shinsoo lifted her head and look at Aran. _

"_What's wrong?" Shinsoo asked gently. Aran looked up. She wasn't ready to tell Shinsoo yet._

"_Don't forget. I'm once a beast of the Transcendences." Shinsoo said sweetly but kindly. "I shared the vision with you, Aran. Do not worry. The best we could do is prolong it. At the same time, you must try to understand and cooperate with the one who is sharing your body now. If you can't do that, there's a good chance that you will die before you realize your great destiny."_

_Aran was touched by her words but frowned when she said destiny._

"_What do you mean?" Aran asked, wiping her tears._

"_Maybe…you will be surprise. You will meet your future cousin. I'm afraid that it would be a long time. So as your counterpart. Both of you are actually very important to us. You will fight alongside with the others. Playing a key role."_

"_Not only that…" she said as she locked eyes with Aran. "You have an ability. A rare ability that had not been seen for a long long time. One day. You will help the one who needed it the most. The one who walked in both light and dark."_

_Aran grabbed a rock and threw it at the trees as she smelled Luminous's and Lucia's scent._

"_Come out." Aran said soberly. _

"_Oh…" she said when she saw her counterpart approaching her. He gave her a hug, just what she needed. Luminous and Lucia gave them a look of pity. Luminous sensed he was being watched by Shinsoo. As if she was deciding his fate._

XXX

**Present**

"Aran!" Orchid shouted. "Snap out of it!" They had watched Aran touching something invisible but she had crumpled to the floor, unconscious. For the past few minutes, they saw her shivering and desperately trying to break the barrier.

Neal then felt a surge of power as he held hands with Evelyn.

"One." Neal said.

"Two." Eveyln continued.

"THREE!" both shouted as the hit the barrier with their palm. The barrier shattered into a million pieces. It sounded like a glass has been broken and they rushed towards Aran's aid. The moment they were about a few meters away, they heard a hiss but it wasn't from Aran as she was knocked out cold.

XXX

**Somewhere under the underground**

A monstrous creature has been awaken. It should never be awaken. Once upon a time, somebody has sealed it. And now, it will bring doom to those have 'spirit link'. Slithering around the corner. Seeking a pathway to the owner. Seeking revenge onto the one.

Time has kept it hidden. And time has kept it forgotten.

"I will not be denied again." It said in its raspy voice. "I will not be sssssealed again. Cursed the woman named Cecil. I sssssssssswear. I will kill her child. Never again, I will be sssssealed."

It slithered past Evelyn's, Neal's and Orchid's notice. For a creature. It was small but dangerous. It's angry eyes, searching for a girl. It was almost onto her. It's fangs poised to strike at her thorax. Orchid was alarmed when she saw it and managed to kick Aran away, causing the creature to missed. It hit the floor hard. But the floor was starting to melt. This time, it was furious and zeroes onto Orchid.

Orchid was almost dead on its first try.

"ARAN!" Orchid shouted. "WAKE UP!" She dodged nimbly. She had a bad feeling about the creature. It was beautiful. It's golden scales glittered under the dim light. Venom dripped from its fangs. It hissed.

"Sssstep away from the girl." It said. "Ssssssshe'sss my enemy." Orchid refused then managed to buy time for Aran and the other two sibling. It almost slipped away from her range of view as it cleverly slithered towards her target. Aran lay down helpless, unable to move. Neal and Evelyn were surprise but got over their shock as they managed to pin the creature onto the ground with their hands. It would have spit the venom at them if it weren't for Orchid. Who shut its jaws with her hands. It struggled but it wasn't enough to break free from the grip. With it's small size, it never have strength but agility and intelligence made it up.

They heard a groan from Aran much to their relief except for the creature who was now thrashing about.

"Sssssshe will never wake up." It hissed as best as it could with it's jaws close. "Not while her memories are sssssssstill misssssssing. I will kill her….and I will kill the boy. I will never be ssssssealed again."

"What is your problem!" Neal asked. "I sensed you are distraught."

Instead of answering, it suddenly screamed in pain. Neal's gloves which had two hidden blades had stabbed onto it's scale. Orchid was sure that it wasn't there before but now it did, it was ignited with flames…she could see much chaos in it.

"Tell me…" Neal demanded. His eyes showed no mercy. His usual gray eyes were no longer twinkling. Orchid knew that if the boy was her enemy, she has the right to fear him. The aura around him changed just like Aran when she was serious.

Instead of answering, it turned back into the darkness. Neal cursed and they released it, it no longer had the intent to kill. Rather, it wanted to become Neal's pet. It regenerated in a speed which none of them could achieve and knew that it would be better if it helped the two siblings on realizing their talents.

"Really?" Neal asked. "Fine. On one condition, don't attack people unnecessary." He held out his hand. "Deal?" The creature slithered towards his arm and wrapped his arm tightly. Aran suddenly stood up, pale from what she had remembered.

"What are you? Best buds." Aran said with loathing at the creature. It hissed angrily at her.

"Do you have a name?" Evelyn asked sweetly. Immediately, the creature liked her and long for her skin.

"You can name me. Most people loved to call me the demon with the golden scales." It said. Then added softly, "Like I have no other reputation." Instead, Evelyn stroked it and it enjoyed everything from then on as long it has the two siblings. Aran walked unsteadily and some colour on her cheeks went back to normal but then, she used to much energy earlier on trying to stop her memories but it was in vain. She remembered everything about the 'spirit link' and how she got it. She could only hope that her counterpart will remember it too so that they will understand what was going on around them more than ever and could prevent the history repeating themselves.

XXX

Wolfie barked with joy and almost hit Aran with her body when she found that her mistress is safe. Aran and Orchid complimented her and rewarded her with a nice scratch behind her ears.

"Can we follow you?" Neal asked, his sister shook her head sadly. Aran considered his question.

"Yeah." Aran said. "But…I'm not sure how to deal with you two." She leaned forward and locked eyes with the boy. His gray eyes showed innocence yet waves of violence hidden under that innocent look. Aran smirked. It wasn't her first time. His sister was worried as she bit her lip. She knew that something was going on but couldn't put her finger onto it. When she look at Aran, she remembered that someone reminded her before. In her dreams. She remembered that single girl boldly went to a man. She did not talk, yet, she felt fear. That's the first for her.

"Hello?" Aran said, shaking Evelyn out of her thoughts. "Do you think you can wait for a few months at most? Or maybe…you can just tell your parents you want some adventure. And" She thumped her chest. "There will be unexpected twist and turns in your journey. Don't expect an easy life. If you don't have the heart to do it, don't. If you have…good luck then." With these words, they parted ways. Unsure what is their future ahead.

"She's right sister." Neal said. He exchanged a glance with Evelyn, his older sister. "The wheel is turning."

"And our journey is steep. Let's go home first, kay'?" she said with a smile, they went back to their house, where their parents were waiting.

* * *

**A/N: Edit a typo mistake. I'm currently doing a new chapter and please forgive me if I did not update sooner because right now my school is getting more hectic with assignments plus this year is an important year to me. By the way, my computer suddenly had BSOD (check google if you want to know) so there's a good chance that my docs will be gone. Sorry if I bore you with this notes.  
**

**Update (26/3): I totally forgot that I wanted to put 12 years old. Just edit that number. I'm making a character list so that I won't forget who and I wanted some of them from 'A New Story' to come back.  
**


	11. Chapter 11 Revealed

**Kerning City**

Dual walked around, as usual, in his favourite spot where he could see the sunset. He just managed to finish the workload of the day and had a few hours to kill. He just missed his home in Kerning City. It used to be his favourite place to hang out with Lea. Unfortunately, she wasn't always around back then as she had to attend the extra curriculum activities. He jumped from cranes to cranes, it wasn't easy but he managed.

"Boring." he muttered, kicking a stone. It wasn't easy. Memories of when he found out about the truth of Lady Syl's father. He died under a mysterious circumstance or so that's why they thought until he uncovered the truth. His own daughter has been possessed. Jin, his disciple, had no choice but to watched the horror and took the blame of his master's death and…his mistress's fury.

She was young then. Now she knew the truth. All Dual hoped was that she can go on, never to be fear again. It was hard.

"Dual…" a familiar voice whispered. Dual jumped. Ryden was calling him. He twisted his head a bit to look at Ryden, the familiar twin katana and dagger on his back. Lowering his bamboo hat, he locked eyes with Dual.

"You're suppose to report back to me if you're here." Ryden grumbled. "Besides." He pointed at the sky. Dual noticed that his good owl friend is here.

"Hey…" Dual greeted the owl. It looked at him with such fury that Dual was afraid but he stared him down. It's brown and a bit of white feathers was beautiful to look at. It's claws, never fail to cut Dual's enemies off if necessary. Dual grinned at it and stroke it's head.

"Sorry." Dual said, scratching the back of his head. "I've been a little busy."

They did a bro-fist with each other. His owl hooted gleefully as it missed it's master so much.

"Have you decided a name yet?" Ryden asked curiously, his eyes glint under the rays of the sunset. Dual shook his head.

"How about…Rocky?" Ryden suggested. Dual did an X with his arms which made his pet fly up in alarm. "Snowy? Dragoon? Doofus? Idiot? YOLO?" Dual rolled his eyes. He rather asked Lea who has a good naming sense to do it then Ryden.

"Fukurou." Dual said, surprising himself.

'_Nice one. It's suitable. Luckily you never pick Yami if not I'm going to chow you out.' Leviathan said with a hint of amusement in his voice._ Dual made a face. His owl responded by landing on his shoulder and did a 'Croo'.

Dual then walked away from Ryden who disappeared into the shadows. Dual jumped down and caught a railing then began to swing from railing to railing and jumped safely on the ground. Fukurou flew away and perched on a bird stand which his friend, Sam, put it outside. She has a hobby of feeding birds. Both wild and tame.

"Sam…" Dual whispered her name. He quietly watch her from the shadow. She wore a clothing just like his except for one thing. A hairband on her head.

'_She never done that before…' Dual thought, leaning against the wall._He watched until nightfall then swiftly walked past her. He winked at her for a moment when he twist his head a bit as he head back to Ereve for a status report and some interesting things they might want to hear. Sam grinned, she saw him but choose to ignore as she stroked the birds and gave them some crumbs.

XXX

**Unknown area**

Lea managed to deflect Damien's attack but she was getting weaker by each second. Dark mana was flowing out from her. The only thing that prevents her from losing conscious is her willpower alone. Lea stumbled, struggling to keep her sword tight on her grip. Damien sensed she was close to fainting, he smiled. He prepared to land a victory blow but then Lea began her new personal spell. Blood trickling down from her injured hand.

The Black Mage watched her intently, the star pendant was swinging around her neck. He smiled evilly as he knew that Lea didn't know there was a loophole to it. It is needed when she needs to get out of the prison. Not the outside world.

"Things just got personal." he heard her muttered. He could have sworn that Lea had purple flames ignited in her right eye. Her other hand, had black magic swirling in the middle. All the mischief has been done.

Damien realized it too late as he swung his sword, full blast of dark magic and 'fear' mixed together at her.

"Complexio." Lea said as she swung it in motion, crushing it. She was absorbing it which wasn't possible. When Lea looked at Damien, she made his hackles raised. Her clothes were white so as her skin and hair. The only one thing that was out of place was her sword and eyes which were both black but ignited with purple flames. Damien's attack hit but when the dust cleared, she was unharmed.

Damien was cussing and was now weary of her. Her new form was inhuman. He started to wonder how she managed to take it head on and yet escape unharmed.

He decided to wait and test her. Lea was in a stance, her sword this time, the blade facing him. They edged away from each other, slowly as the one who attack first will expose his opening but if he or she managed to deflect it, and counter, it would be worth it. Their dance were enchanting to the outsiders and under the Black Mage's view, it was entertaining and he managed to grasp what is their weakness each battle.

He noticed something else about Lea. Each time he knew her weakness, she managed to cover it up which another skill. He wanted to torment her again in her dreams like he did when the seal was weak at certain timing. Although he wasn't fully conscious, deep inside, it's like the darkness inside him was ready to swallow him. His body may be moving, talking and breathing. But even in his weak state, it was still worthy against Lea's dark mana.

But he knew that the dance must end. The battle between him and the world must end. After so many years he had never felt so much thrill for a long time.

Lea took the risk but Damien was ready this time. He jumped over her and rolled back to his feet. He almost made it but for a moment, Lea disappeared and appeared behind him. He felt her sword pressing his neck and her gaze on it. As usual, her footing impressed Damien.

He dropped his sword. Lea kicked it away from his reach and released Damien then swung it upwards, releasing her current form. Her appearance went back to normal. But she collapsed from the strain of using her own dark mana onto herself. It was the first for her.

Pleased by her improvement, the Black Mage decided to have a little test for her. He flung his chains at her to see how long she can endure. She did not scream instead, she bit her lip to prevent herself from screaming. Her dark mana was leaking out from her and she knew it was futile to reel them back especially when her mental state was deteriorating.

"Without your friends. I wonder." the Black Mage began. "How long can you last? I hope that you will last until I am fully awaken and neither of you can stop me." He leaned forward and pulled Lea towards him. "I won't repeat the same mistake. Especially the trap…Talos." This time with venom.

**Inside Lea's mind**

'_I would like to see you try…' Talos said grimly. He circled around the barrier Lea made but was careful enough not to destroy it. The barrier around them was weakening slowly although Lea managed to strengthen it._

XXX

**Mushroom Shrine**

Jake walked around with his friend and actually the head of the hyakki youkai, The Great General. His name obviously, Nura Rikuo. He shrugged as they met many familiar faces. Luckily, Jake wasn't well known around the area if not they would have been mobbed by fans. Jake wore a kimino very much like Rikuo's and sandals to fit it. The only thing out of place was his badana which he refused to take it off for now.

"Can you take it off?" Rikuo complained. It was attracting lots of attention especially the girls who was moved by Jake's handsome features.

Jake shook his head a little nonchalantly. If Rikuo is in his night form, he would have muttered, "Bitch." Loud enough for Jake to hear. As Jake slowed his pace, looking at the grass and sometimes, watching the little kids playing the traditional games. He longed for the days where he wouldn't have to worry about anything.

Rikuo thumped his back with a grin. Because of that, they started chasing each other as if they were just 7 years old kids without any training. Except their chase were epic. Rikuo wisely backed out of his reach as he jumped from roof to roof. As the night began to fall, he changed his form. He was taller now and his eyes were slanted and his hair grew longer but wasn't down like most humans are. It was growing backwards, like a blade.

This time, Jake had trouble keeping up.

'_How did they keep up with these kind of clothes?' Jake mused himself._As if reading his thoughts, Rikuo cheekily turned towards him and pat him on his back for a boost and making Jake stumble.

"Come back here!" Jake shouted.

"Who's gonna stop?" Rikuo muttered back, running at ease.

"Me." Jake said, suddenly appearing next to Rikuo and did a sweep at his legs. Rikuo fell down as he lost his balance. He got hit. Hard on the head.

Rikuo shook his head, amazingly, did not get injured from a fall as far as him. He recovered quickly as he ran back with amazing speed and karate-chop at Jake's head with an annoyed expression on his face. But Jake did not give up.

"HE shoots! HE SCORES!" Jake shouted apparently to himself. Rikuo rolled his eyes but his spirits were lifted as they always did under Jake's humor attempt. He skid in front of a bar and entered in the attempt to lose his trail. He had forgotten that Jake has excellent hearing, sight and smell alike. Jake tracked him down without any problem and watched as Rikuo acting casually. Many of the workers (actually part of Nura's clan) greeted him with the word '-sama'. They had cat ears and wore a kimino like a worker should be except for one thing. They may have human appearance but their tails and ears are real.

Jake entered, ignoring the fact that Rikuo is inside. Rikuo smiled as he sipped his tea. He gestured that Jake should seat opposite him. He did and took another cup and poured the tea in. He took a sip, savoring the cooling flavor in his mouth. Their worries had been forgotten for the moment. The chase between them has ended the moment they both sat down peacefully.

Without a doubt, they both shook hands, maintaining their friendship and making it stronger.

"I think…" Rikuo began, his voice surprisingly stronger and full of confidence. "We should head back. My father would be worried.

"Sōna ndesu ka?" Jake said, his accent change too. "I hope that you will have peace. Give them my best regards." He smirked at Rikuo as he began to get up and left the restaurant. Making sure that he has absolute privacy, he summoned a portal towards his destination. Looking for answers which only one person in this world has it. He was now sure of his decision and prepared himself for the blow.

"Alice…" he said softly before taking a step towards his portal. He felt weightless for a moment and then dizziness as he felt the ground under his feet. He looked up just in time to see the birds flying away from him. He silently watched the Knights Of Cygnus training as they chased a low level monster which is suitable from them. Then, he quietly slipped past them and looked around, careful not to leave his trail traceable as he teleported.

When he reached the headquarters, he will himself into his magician clothes. In a few moments, he was surrounded by a white light with a blue robe with silver linings and a hoodie. He pulled it up, hiding his face from the strangers and allies alike.

He managed to enter the restricted area without problem as he showed the seal of the Empress Cygnus. He tried to find Neinheart and as usual at his desk, doing the paperwork and firefighting. As he approached Neinheart, he pulled down his hood, revealing his face. Neinheart looked up with a grim look.

"How may I help you. Jake?" Neinheart asked. Jake leaned forward to his ear and whispered, "Where's Alice? I need to confirm something that involves the five Balancers." Neinheart was stunned. He hadn't expected Jake to be very perspective. Neinheart made a mental note not to underestimate Jake's intelligence. He may be a mage and look stupid sometimes but his intelligence aren't the same level as a certain mage he knew.

"Right this way." Neinheart answered, pointing southeast at a waterfall. Jake waited patiently, knowing that Neinheart was lying. Jake locked eyes with Neinheart issuing a silent challenge _Are you sure you can lie? Don't try to fool me._

Neinheart stared back coolly.

'_Looks like I have no choice then…' Jake said to his dragon. Guwar nodded, smirking as best as he could to Jake._

'_Get going then.' Guwar encouraged._Jake slammed the table, attracting lots of attention now. Jake grasped the air. It shimmered and Jake pulled his staff, it's tip glowing.

"So? Are you going to tell?" Jake said as he took advantage of his sight. Glancing around, the activity of around them stopped for a moment. Neinheart stood up, sighing.

"Why would you want to see Alice? Don't you know how dangerous it is?!" Neinheart hissed. Jake snarled at him.

"I too, agree with you. But can you please make this an exception. Unless…" Jake said with a scowl on his face. He slashed the air. It shimmered, as if something was trying to break free. "You want history to repeat itself."

Neinheart cursed under his breath. It wasn't easy. He managed to regain his composure and clear his throat before answering coldly, "Maybe." Jake's eyes flashed with anger. His patience was running thin. He knew that only the Transcendence of Life have the answers. He sensed that if they are not ready, it would blew them away like a storm.

"Enough." Empress Cygnus ordered. She looked from Jake to Neinheart. "I will not allow this nonsense. Please accept his request. It won't be long." Her expression turned sad when she looked at Shinsoo who was suffering. Jake felt a bit nervous. It was going as well as he feared. He took a deep breath before following Empress Cygnus to a building. After corridors and corridors, she finally stopped in front of a room. She knocked it softly before pushing the door open and did a courtesy to Alice who was inside, looking calm and with her bright smile.

"Come in." Alice said unnecessary. Cygnus shut the door behind her, with a bad feeling.

XXX

"Alice…I'm not sure what's going on but I sense that something big is going to happen hasn't it? Or…" Jake tapped the side of his head. "It's just me."

"No." Alice answered. "You're correct. The Balancers and the Heroes are gathering. The Heroes is the first to gather all five members. Three hundred years ago, Erika helped them indirectly. Especially Aran as her soul ancestor."

She sighed before continuing her explanation. "The Balancers three hundred years ago were not as strong as the original nor the current one. None of them except the host of Leviathan had dark mana stored in his body. Besides….the host of Talos is not a boy, therefore, having a short life. After the sealing, the dragons spilt both physically and mentally from them. He was a good man. They went back to sleep…and only 15 years ago, Talos finally started the wheel of fate. Ultimately, the child who walked to the path of twilight is born. Right now, Lea's title is 'the child who walks in the fine line of light and darkness'. It's appropriate for her. But to be more specific, if she managed to awaken her another power, which of course, none of us except for me know about it."

Jake listened to her explanations intently.

"Then why is there a dagger and two swords next to Lea when she was born?" Jake asked. He could still remember the story. When he was born, there were no weapons, only blue aura surrounded him with peace and happiness. Filling the atmosphere with calmness.

"Because…the dagger…Yes. I understand your worries now. The dagger contains a secret. It needs both Lea's will and blood. To kill me of course…but not really necessary…it is enough to kill a Transcendence…."

"And more…" she added softly.

Jake was shocked by this information. He regained his composure after minutes.

"But the prophecy…" Jake pointed out.

"The birth of half-demon and a dragon,

Will be born,

The child of twilight will be born under the lucky star,

The name of crow will be part of darkness,

The one with the name of satisfactory will be the light,

The one with the name of a field will be the line between,

With the hidden power lies sleeping inside them,

Will be awaken when the time is nigh,

The dagger will be born with the child of twilight,

Facing everlasting darkness and light,

A resolve to save or kill will be decided,

And the love of the child of twilight,

Will be save or kill under the wielder of the cold flame."

With that final tone, Alice smiled bitterly.

"Understand?" Alice said as gently as she could to cushion the blow. Jake's body shook with disbelief. He hadn't expect to hear the full prophecy coming out from her mouth. Jake told himself, _Count to ten before you start to cry._He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. He thanked Alice before walking out, shuddering from the bitter blow he received from Alice. He thought he was prepared but he was sadly mistaken. He put up his hood and ran past Empress Cygnus. She caught a glimpse of tears flowing down to his cheeks.

Empress Cygnus cupped her hands and breathed a blessing towards Jake's direction, hoping that he would be able to solve his problem.

'_If only the world would be in peace…now it is in turmoil…' Cygnus thought sadly as she settled next to Shinsoo, stroking her head. 'If only I have the power to fix this…'_

XXX

**Phantom's Airship, Lumiere**

Phantom strode around his airship for a millionth time. He was bored and sparring with Luminous haven't been much fun lately as they were both distracted at a certain point. Sometimes, they remembered Falzar's and Gregar's advice. Their advice to find the demon fox, nickname, Kyubbi. That's what they believe and that's who or what they are finding.

Unfortunately, they have more pressing matters to attend to. The guy who appeared at Leviathan's forest was the same person who is the Black Wing's mad scientist. Mad enough to experiment on humans.

Phantom gripped his cane tightly, swinging it around at the dummies. It was a clean hit, as the dummy was slashed into three pieces. Then, he ran back to the living room, where Baru and Aran were busy with their...research.

"So make any progress?" Phantom asked in a monotone voice. He was just bored and even after all that training, he couldn't get rid his sense of foreboding. He already had a feeling that something was wrong with the girl Aran and Orchid. Not only that, he remembered something vital and had to look for her for answers. Unfortunately, she's still travelling to find Lea.

In fact his sense had never dull especially for trouble as he started to disturb and purposely annoy Luminous who was snoring the day away on his favourite cushion...and dirtying it on the floor.

Despite this, Luminous managed to kick Phantom away and immediately surround himself with a barrier to repel him only. Because of that, Phantom stomp his feet with frustration before gritting his teeth and into the piano room he went.

As he played one of the classical music, he let his mind flow. He was on auto-pilot because he didn't bother to read the music notes much less take notice of who was inside. He hadn't heard a knock and the door silently open and shut. He ignored the person who had just enter and continue to play. Playing varieties of music after that.

Only when he looked up, he found Mercedes staring at him, amused by his actions.

"What?" Phantom asked, feeling a bit on disadvantage as Mercedes had seen him enjoying himself with a piano. He shifted his weight a bit, allowing Mercedes to sit beside him. He patted the empty side.

He crossed his legs and locked eyes with Mercedes who is trying to kill a smile.

"I thought you would be hungry." Mercedes explained under his questioning look. Phantom stood up and followed her to the dining room. His allies were now bickering over food. Especially meat.

Obviously, Mercedes did not join in but she threw a fork expertly towards the boys especially Aran. It was a near miss as Aran was lucky to move a little to his right as he sensed ominous murderous aura from Mercedes's direction. He wisely stop bickering before picking bits of meat and stuffed into his mouth. Luminous and Baru did not took any notice.

Mercedes ran towards the duo and bashed their head together.

_'Typical women.' Phantom shook his head as he thought about this. 'Women... It works wonder why she doesn't get any wrinkles or why even Freud fall head over heels with her. Now that I think about it...Mercedes loved him...I hoped that Freud would have a happy ending...sadly...' _His expression darkened before he hid it as he dipped his head low and took some food.

He sat at the head of the table. He felt the table shaking so he took a butter knife at his side, aiming expertly at Luminous who was now eating...politely, no longer fighting. He threw it the moment he was sure that it would hit. It managed to graze Luminous's clothes. Luminous's eyes flashed at him angrily. He got ready to get up but Aran and Mercedes pulled him back.

Luminous locked eyes with Phantom and they both had a silent agreement. They would spar with each other and this time, seriously.

XXX

Mercedes and Aran watched the two idiots. At least in their opinion, it was amusing to watch the two idiots fighting seriously. Mercedes knew that all her life, they had been fighting seriously with each other for years. Even after the girl Aran kicked their asses for being a nuisance. She was busy learning other language. She asked Afrien to helped which he obliged.

Until now they still don't understand what she was up too. Afrien understood but refused to tell down. For the first time in days, she felt herself beginning to relax properly. Even though she used most of her free time training, she felt a pang of guilt from Lea. She should have warned Lea about the coming of a storm but she never had a chance.

_'Better be well...friends...' Mercedes thought before closing her eyes to take a nap. _She somehow managed to ignore the noises and curled up. Aran and Baru made some space for her so that she would sleep peacefully. In the end, neither of them have made any progress, leading to a standstill...and earning a punch from Mercedes the next day.

* * *

**A/N: I'm pretty bad at making poem and poetry(whatever comes first). Sorry...computer something wrond with the motherboard and the RAM Drive. Sending it to repair, next week, only can get it back. But you can still hope for the next update. See ya~**


	12. Chapter 12 Seperated

**A/N: Warning! I can't write stories until after um...October I think. Because I need to turn my attention into studies and this year is a very important year for me. I wanted to write more but...my elder brother keep chasing me away from my Dad's laptop. I hope you won't be angry. I will try my very best to update as much as I could. Just got my computer back and it's Windows 8...*facepalm*  
**

**Gee...he also chase me away from the inside computer... =.="**

* * *

"And I thought they were the worse until Jake..." Mercedes grumbled. They were in the airship and they had an unexpected visitor, Jake. He just appeared out of thin air. Looking calm and composed but his eyes gave him away as they were swollen a bit.

_'From tears...' they thought at the same time. _Jake wasn't sure how to break the news to them. Earlier, he wanted to visit Dual but knew it would be a waste of time. Dual is surprising adapting to his new life. He coped even without Lea around.

As Jake opened his mouth to talk, the action in the training room was hushed immediately. Somehow, Baru entered without their notice (the door is big). He shook his head at Jake, mouthing 'Don't tell them yet.' Jake instead, told his worries to them. Luminous had a feeling that Jake was hiding something. He never suspected Baru knowing the prophecy regarding them. Baru remembered the one time he asked an audience with the Transcendence of Life. Alice refused to tell him the prophecy regarding Jake, Lea and Crow. Even the Heroes.

Instead, she told him the prophecy regarding him and the boy Aran.

He was calm. He knew that it would happen regardless the situation. Somebody must find the traitor. And fast.

He glanced at the boy Aran who was oblivious what's happening around him. The royal seal must be found before the nemesis of theirs found it. The Black Mage. Baru heard disturbing rumors circulating around Edelstein.

"Jake." Baru interrupted. "Isn't it about time you told them yours? I know you seek audience. He's still unconscious. No...I can't be to sure...It's best to ask your sister who has been doing the sealing for a decade or more." Jake gave him a glare with pure hatred.

"Isn't it obvious?" Baru pointed out to them. Jake shook his head sadly.

"Unfortunately...I couldn't accompany her to the seal. If I am right..." Jake trailed off. Mercedes and Luminous exchanged a silent look with each other. Their suspicions grew more about Lea and Baru. Jake's feature were etched with the fear of losing his sister. He wanted to stop Lea that day but she was stubborn and she marched on. When she came back, Jake saw her fearful expression. Her eyes widen with shock.

Jake shook his head, trying to shake his thoughts. He only realized that they were staring at him after a moment or two. Jake felt a bit nervous and decided to run away.

He never had a chance. Phantom was there in a few seconds as the cards swirled around Jake and himself. Jake was unprepared so he panicked and touched the cards which left his hand a serious injury. He felt his knees buckled and he blacked out not from lost of blood. But from exhaustion.

XXX

**Victoria Island, Ellinia **

The duo sat under one of those very big trees and...monster infested areas...

Aran meditated next to a river. Which was very hard to find but they were welcomed thanks to some advises from the fairies. Only a few people have good connection with them. Fortunately, her senses never fail her. Not only that, they visited Grendel The Really Old for some directions before relaxing by the riverside. Only a few of them were there and some of the citizens were chatting away oblivious of the grave situation.

Aran could barely remember her parents. She had a vague memory of her father and much more her mother. Other than that, it was a total blank and she had no idea where she should begin. She remembered how she met Luminous, her counterpart, Mercedes, Freud and Phantom. She also remember that she had another hidden ability inside her but she needs guidance for unlocking the secret. But last and not least, she remembered Aria and her bad old days thanks to Lea who helped her unearth it when they were still sharing one mind and body (with the dragons of course).

She meditated on those precious memory, unlocking them, one by one. Orchid smiled a bit at Aran who was breathing calmly. Orchid was hearing a lot of things and the fairies gossip a lot so it wasn't that _hard _to find out. Orchid lazily threw a stone and it skipped twice before sinking into the river. As an old habit, she eyed on the river like the river was going to tease her.

She took off her boots (they bought a new one because Orchid lost hers when a Slime attacked them) and socks before she dipped her legs at the cooling water.

"That's what I'm talking about!" a fairy screamed at her own friends. Orchid gave them a glare and willed her worries into the river. She looked up at the huge trees which had grown so tall after so many years which amaze them. Even Gelimer, her ex-employee have never understood it but tried it. In the end, his results on it was a failure.

She already knew Aran had been through a lot. Losing her memories, rebelling against them, facing hardships and difficulties. Her perseverance is so great that even Orchid herself admired.

Orchid then looked at her reflection. She touched her cheek and remembered the old days when her twin brother and her were still carefree. Everything change when The Black Mage started scouting kids. Just like Aran's time. But only they survive his brutal training.

When Orchid face her for the first time since she ran away, she found her change tremendously and the commanders were cursing at her for being so strong. But without the help of her friends, Aran would have never beaten them. Much less seal The Black Mage away. But it was part of their plan to make sure the duo Aran were injured since they stand a chance against most of their minions and playing a key role.

Others...they just wanted to eliminate them. They were pest against The Black Mage's plan. He ordered the commanders to take them down as soon as possible. Orchid shook her head out of the memory. She never understood why.

Until now.

Unexpectedly, Aran thrust her hand upwards and the river suddenly bend to her will. It moved up, swirling violently. Aran was freaking out as she had no idea how to stop it. Orchid shouted from a distance and yelp when she was also pulled along.

"ARAN!" Orchid screamed. Aran panicked and it made her lose her concentration and the water went back to it's original place and it sparkled under the sun and Orchid was drenched. So as Wolfie and what she did was only to shake her body from head to tail. Wolfie chuckled before settling down on a dry spot which is next to Aran. Aran looked guilty and swore to herself never try that again.

Orchid took one of her pigtails and squeezed it. She looked at Aran disapprovingly.

"That was an unplan bathe...and I hope...we have some place to stay where I can take my shower...without stalkers." Orchid said with her eyebrows raised. Aran sighed. She wasn't going to like it at all.

XXX

**Lea****'s Dream  
**

_She dreamed of herself. As she watched her younger self descending towards the darkness. To the seal. She was just 7 then. Rhine wasn't accompanying her anymore as she said something like this, "You will be fine. Besides...he can't harm you in any way." Lea steeled her nerves as she descend the everlasting darkness. She had to watch her step._

_The smell of a rotten corpse reached her and she pinched her nose as she cringed. She reluctantly went towards the source. As usual, the person was there. She was positive that the person was smiling under the hood._

_"I see you're back." he said, his voice strangely muffled. "Where's Rhinne?" he asked when he noticed that his former ally wasn't with Lea. His eyes glinted at the darkness. The temperature seemed to drop to a hundred degrees.  
_

_Lea did not answer but rather, noticing the cracks, she went to it and sealed the cracks. She took a step back, looking weary and feeling extremely exhausted. He laughed at her ignorance. As he did so, Lea felt her blood boil with anger._

_This time, she stomped off. His laughter echoing in her ears and when she got to the surface, she took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly._

_"It's time to go home..." she said to herself before, as usual, transforming into a red little dragon and arrived at Leafre. She turned back into herself. She looked down and gulped. She descend using the ivy and found that Jake was waiting for her. He looked grim and then stroke her hair as she hugged him. She was shivering despite the warm weather. Jake did his best to comfort her but it wasn't enough. She felt something inside her stirred. Again, her body racked with pain as her another source was growing stronger. She forced it down but Jake noticed. She can't hide under his gaze. _

_She winced. She forced herself back to the reality, the birds tweet, tourists and Adventurers alike were walking around, some chatting the day away some with serious expressions. Lea was on her knee now and she almost collapsed. Jake pulled her up and she leaned against him heavily. But they hadn't gotten very far when Lea bolted to the forest and as far away from the innocent people. She forced herself to go on although she knew it was useless. Her brother chased without any difficulties since he mastered 'Teleport' long time ago.  
_

_The Blood Harps watched her and ran away the moment her dark mana leaked out of her. She blacked out and awoke after several hours later. She looked down and found that she is in her pajamas and her bed. She felt like somebody has whacked something as heavy as an anchor at her head and she looked at her hands. They were bandaged. Jake spoon-feed her with some mushroom soup. Jake smiled sadly before humming her to sleep as if she is still a baby. She sort comfort from his humming ans slowly drifted away to sleep.  
_

XXX

**Dungeons, Unknown Area**

Lea found herself sleeping next to Damien. It took her a moment to remember where she was. Again, she felt so much pain. She never endured the intensity of her own dark mana for so long. She moved slowly so not to wake Damien up who looked peaceful. She felt her cheeks burn a bit as she watched him sleep. She never felt so alone with him. She snuggled closer towards him and settled her head on his chest.

Damien groaned then opened his eyes. He looked down at Lea with a smile.

"Morning." he greeted before planting a kiss on her forehead. She blushed even more furiously. Damien smirked then laughed before he went outside and took a star shape pendant. He tossed it to her and she caught it before settling the familiar weight onto her neck. It has been a habit now.

Damien offered her a hand but she slapped it away, furious with herself of being trap and unable to activate her own 'Dragon Force'. One of the main reasons were because she sealed the trio in a barrier she created her own. Another was because since she is hosting three dragons, the chances of activating it was low. That's why many Dragon Slayer with a dragon or two inside them will rather not have three. Two is enough. One is the best.

Lea envied Jake for having such powerful dragon and late manifestation.

She felt sick all of the sudden and felt her dinner rising but she forced it down. She had enough sickness to deal with. With or without her friends, one way or another, she will escape and help Damien to open his eyes.

"I see..." The Black Mage mumbled to himself. His eyes were close but he sensed the duo enter the room. He grinned evilly at Lea. One more step and she will be his pawn for life. "I hope you enjoy yourself. Once more I must take my leave." he said before turning into wisp of black smoke and dissipated to who-knows-where. She smiled softly at Damien without him noticing before Damien passed her the twin swords she owned since the day she was born. She gripped those two and was prepared but she was unsteady on her feet.

_'It wouldn't be long before she succumbed to darkness...' The Black Mage thought. 'It work both sides. If she survived...I know that Luminate has found her host...but if she didn't just a single step and I will checkmate those fools...'_

XXX

**In her mind**

_Talos growled. The barrier was weak enough for him to break and he choose a perfect moment to try. He threw his weight onto it and it shattered.  
_

_As if on cue, Chaos and Order broke their bindings and they began to merge their power. _

XXX

**Somewhere in El Nath**

A girl around 13 years old stood at a tall tree with incredible skill. She was blindfolded with a long red cloth. She wasn't blind but because she saw too much light. Light that couldn't been seen other than hers. She never knew back then.

She sensed a dark presence around her. Reaching out for it, she grasped it essence and sniffed it. She cringed. But she soothed herself with the thoughts of a girl who is a celebrity although she was cursed by many. She shook her head.

"Lucy!" her mother called in a soothing tone. The girl, Lucy turned towards her direction at the same time, released the essence. She knew she was being watch and knew she must be careful from now on. She jumped down from the tree and landed on her feet since the snow cushion the blow. She navigate only by her magic and hearing.

She smiled at the familiar light as she pushed the door open.

"Hiya mom." she greeted before tossing her scarf onto the nearby chair. She smelled meat in the air and licked her lips with anticipation. She whispered one name, 'Luminate'.

XXX

She was outside again and the sun was setting. Since she had time, she went towards a building which has been abandon for so many years. Legends wove around it. Spirits who were lost will gather here and will kill those who dare to intrude. Lucy found that legend ridiculous. It's just Lea's older brother, Jake who made it spooky as he is one of the bishops who calmed the spirits and helped them to the afterlife.

But one of the legends weren't wrong. A single pure white dragon had came here to sleep for a few centuries before waking in the time of darkness.

"Luminate..." Lucy called out.

_'What's wrong?' Luminate asked, detecting concern in Lucy's tone._ She rose from the ground and went into the sky, scales as white as the moon and sparkling blue eyes filled with light and energy. She glided down and settled right in front of Lucy.

"I do not understand." Lucy explained. "Why I can see things other people can't see? Why I have these visions in my dreams? And who are those 4 people I saw?" Luminate patiently waited for her to take a deep breath.

"Because you are my chosen host. I did not ask for it too. But the time is right. These visions aren't from me. These visions are from your very first ancestor. She is the one who save your life when you were younger, just a baby I tell you. One is your cousin another are just your allies. The one with red eyes and has a dark past is your cousin. The one who can see the light and darkness as much as both of you is a soul descendant from your great-great-great. I don't give a damn on how many great aunty. Her name is Erika Nightwalker."

"But that's my surname!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Be warn. My brothers and sister are now in grave danger. At any moment, she would succumb to darkness if you are going to hesitate or declining me to be your dragon and a Balancer."

Lucy bit her lips.

"Very well." she answered calmly as she opened her arms wide. "Come." she invited Luminate. "It's time we both join our souls into one for the greater good."

"I agree." Luminate respond before diving into Lucy's soul. Her power surged through Lucy and they both saw each other memories. Both good and bad. Because of that, the light was released and the Maple World could feel it.

XXX

**Lumiere**

"About time." Jake grumbled in his sleep. Luminous too can feel it in his bones and soul. The darkness inside him was receding bit by bit. His augury glowed in his orb. Mercedes was wondering what were they feeling until the force hit her. She never felt such power from Luminous nor Lea and only once...by Luminate.

XXX

**Unknown Area**

Lea was laughing her head off. Why? The darkness inside her was recoiling from the very light of Luminate. Damien kept attacking her, fiercely pushing her back. Lea merely deflect his attack and continue to laugh.

She was back to her old self now as the purple flames ignite at her right eye but not as strong as before.

_'Thank you.' Lea said a silent thanks to Luminate in her mind before her body was surrounded by purple flames of Talos._ Damien took a step back, almost losing his footing. He was almost lose his composure but remembered that they were in the middle of a sparring. He silently cursed himself for being an idiot. It wouldn't be long that the energy around them will fade. But he was wrong.

It made her stronger.

"Equilibrium." she said, her voice surprisingly strong. Both her dark and light magic surrounded her only separated by Talos's flames. She knew her barrier has been broken and Chaos and Order will be free once she release them from her soul and body.

It wasn't easy.

But...she managed.

The feeling compared to The Black Mage's dark mana intensity wasn't even this painful to her. The very core of her soul was tearing apart. She would have died if it weren't for Talos and her little attribute from her mother half-youkai's side.

In a few seconds, a two summoning circle of Chaos and Order appeared beside her. Chaos on the right, Order on the left, no longer following her. They escaped with their lives intact and Lea blacked out.

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**A/N: Sorry for the short chapter. If you can put the pieces together...you can guess what's coming out in the next one! **

**R & R please...I really need those.**


	13. Chapter 13 Shadows

**A/N: Again. Please R & R and enjoy this chapter. I've research a lot of things especially horoscopes and stars. You will find them in future chapters and again, I remind you, I'm making a character list so don't expect me to update often plus I'm quite busy with all these assignments/projects I have to do.**

**Thank you for the people who favourite, follow or review this story!**

* * *

**Ereve**

Dual gritted his teeth in frustration. He doesn't know who host Luminate yet but _they_ knew who is it and they were keeping their mouth shut. Their power earlier, radiated the whole world, bringing temporary peace to their mind.

He was also assured by the power itself, that Lea was fine and won't succumb to light or darkness anymore. The both sides of her won't fight each other. Unlike Luminous which he pitied.

He looked at the sky which reminded him of the girl Aran who was currently searching for Lea. He pulled up his scarf to block the wind. As he did so, Cygnus strode towards him, curious on what he had said earlier and his strange offer. Only Neinheart and Empress Cygnus knew about his offer and weren't willing to hand over a certain item which kept Ereve safe for so long. They began to suspect that Dual is a traitor.

But he's not. The traitor isn't the Balancers nor the Heroes but rather, their allies.

He needed _it_ to find Lea and Talos. He sensed the release of Chaos and Order. It contained the fragments of Rhine, the Transcendence of Time and Talos, the Dragon of Time. He helped Cygnus up when she tripped over a stone. He sighed in relief when Cygnus was fine but he could hear Shinsoo's breathing getting worst as she rasped almost all the time. In fact, he wasn't even sure whether she would survive the bitter war that was brewing.

Dual then departed using shadow travel. Heading to his destination.

XXX

He blinked at the sudden light and winced. He covered his eyes as best as he could. When he could see, he looked down and found himself in a place filled with sand and the buildings around him were made with mud and rocks.

"Finally." Dual said with relief as he walked leisurely. He settled under a palm tree and watched the tourists, citizens and Adventurers alike. As he watched, he notice that Ariant was in an even worse condition then he thought. He frowned. Surprisingly, he immediately got up. His mood has been killed and now keen on arranging paperwork. Then, he shadow-travel towards another place. Time Temple.

As usual, Rhine wasn't around. He sighed. It had been boring without company and he wondered how Lea endure this loneliness. The hat which he took from Jake was on Lea's table. To remind that Lea isn't dead and if possible, do his best.

Dual immediately trip over a ball. He fumed before storming off to find Leviathan. And there he was, playing with a ball of yarn.

"ARE YOU A FREAKING CAT OR WHAT?!" Dual screamed. Leviathan continued to toy with it with Dual at the sidelines, sweating. He did a face-palm. Dual gritted his teeth before walking away this time, watching his step as Leviathan suddenly developed a fondness of circle shape items. Dual unintentionally kick a ball and felt a shiver to his spine. He was being watched.

He knew it but he decided to see what he or she would do. As he walked towards a corridor he tensed. He threw the same dagger that his mother gave him at the intruder. It missed.

"Scary!" a little boy said with a bit of fear in his voice but laughing after that. He jumped in joy.

"Finally." he began. "I've finally found you!"

"What?" Dual asked, bewildered.

"My older sister is here with me and you have got to introduce yourself and the...um...another person? I saw you in my dreams. We're like brothers. Don't you agree?"

Dual's vein twitched. He had no idea what is the little boy talking about.

"We've travel quite a long way here." the little boy continued and Dual raised his eyebrows and did a T for time out.

"Hold it. What do you mean and who are you? Older sister? And why are here and stalking me and" Dual stopped as he took a deep breath. Pulling the dagger out of the wall. "WHY ARE YOU STALKING ME?!" he yelled. His voice echoed all the way and the little boy and his older sister plugged their ears. Bad enough they have to journey for 3 days just to get here and get a unwelcome...greeting.

XXX

Dual had the two kids sit down on the chair while he stood up, looking at them wearily. The little boy wore a hoodie with white top and jeans while the little girl wore a white dress, their stormy-gray eyes were so beautiful that even Dual was mesmerized with it. He listened to their story, interrupting for clarification. So far, he heard that they ran away from home without their parent's consent which obviously made them into a big trouble. Dual snickered at this point. They were brave to do it. The reason why they never told their parents were because they...never allow them to roam around. But they train in secret. The little brother, a unique assassin with weapons unlike they have ever seen before and the little girl, has the ability to communicate with nature and is a magician. But they were reluctant to show their weapons to him as they were afraid Dual may steal it.

Dual raised his eyebrows at the girl's weapon. It was just an ordinary staff but when she used it to channel her magic, it shattered as it wasn't strong enough to hold hers. Dual was amused and delighted with her actions for he now knew that they were no ordinary kids like Lea and himself. Not only that, the little girl tended to order.

An idea suddenly came over to him.

"That's it!" Dual suddenly said out loud. "Order...Chaos...Order...Chaos...Dark...Light...Ti me..." He punched the air.

"Now I know why it's so vital...no wonder Cygnus was so weary on lending me _that _thing...she was afraid I may ruin our only chance of resealing him..." He said mostly to himself, leaving the two kids confuse. He realized his rudeness before shaking his head.

"My name is Dual. What's yours?" Dual introduced himself.

"Neal!" the little boy shouted, almost causing havoc as he equipped his unique weapon.

"Evelyn. You can call me Eve but...I don't like that." the little girl mumbled, trying to restrain her hyperactive little brother.

_'The atmosphere around the duo were light not dark and dull as earlier...' Dual thought. _

Just his luck, Leviathan chose that moment to appear and scaring Evelyn and Neal. Dual calmed them down as best as he could before introducing Leviathan and himself again. This time, with the title 'Balancer'. The duo were amazed by how cool Dual is and deep inside, they felt they weren't good enough.

"Nah. It's okay. Wait till you find Order and Chaos. Without a doubt, we will meet again." Dual said those parting words before he disappeared into the darkness with the help of Leviathan. This time, nobody heard from him until Lea's return.

XXX

**Unknown Area, Dungeons**

Damien watched her struggling to wake up and he felt his heart twisted into a knot. He was unable to do anything to help her. She has been in a coma for five days already since that last spar. His master wasn't please with him as he accidentally halt the leaking of her dark mana to replace _his_...

Damien fervently hoped that Lea would wake up and look at him again. But deep down, he knew it was his fault for not helping her to escape.

He got up and left the dungeon itself after a few hours due to his guilt. Then, he watched the starry night and started remembering constellations. Most of them have been wipe out thanks to The Black Mage's power when the seal was weaken.

But he didn't know that Lea would awake assuming another Balancer came to her aid.

"I'm afraid that you have to wait a long time..." The Black Mage hissed angrily at himself. "The plan has changed...Damien!" Damien immediately went inside and was puzzled by the sudden call.

"I believe that I ordered you to kill Shinsoo...hm? Do it A.S.A.P. I'm am pretty sure that she will wake up once she heard of the incident." He waved his hand in an unmistakable gesture that Damien was dismissed. Damien regained his composure after moments and the minions from his master rose from the ground and formed ranks, marching towards Ereve which is now undefended as they had a meeting somewhere safe, taking the Transcendence of Life, Alice with them as suggested by Neinheart.

But that was a fatal mistake.

Moments later, Ereve was invaded and Damien managed to kill Shinsoo easily. Before he left, he threw a paper and left before it had reached the ground. A paper addressed to his older brother, Valfor.

XXX

**Ellinia**

"For all I care Jake...that you are lazy." Wendy said exasperated of his questions. They were in an Alliance meeting and were arguing with each other. The Heroes were invited but all of them declined for some reasons. Empress Cygnus wanted to calm them down but have seen that they were very worried about the current situation and most importantly, The Black Mage broke his seal.

"It's not funny! Have you ever seen her trying to cope with the situation?! You didn't right?! That's the worst!" Jake yelled, his voice was filled with rage when he spoke those words.

"ENOUGH!" Fray slammed her fist on the table. "I may not be a magician like you." she continued pointing at Jake. "But I know that you are too worried about her! And worst still...the Heroes aren't here today! So shut the hell up and calm down! YOU LITTLE-"

"Jake!" Crow hushed Jake with his name. "Shhh...can't you hear something? The wind has change."

"That means they have made their move. I doubt they knew that we are having an Alliance meeting today."

"And...I just heard that girly." a familiar voice said to them. A tornado of cards suddenly appeared and formed Phantom with a smirk on his face. "It's pretty rude and the reason why we didn't want to come is because we were to tiredddddddd.." He yawned.

"And that. Is the lamest excuse I've ever heard." Crow and Jake said bluntly to him. "Because you have wayyyyyyyyy to much time to freshen up yourself." After that sentence, they slipped into Japanese and left most of them confuse on what were they saying.

Wendy snorted at one of the sentence and began rapidly speaking back until it was a slur of words. Phantom had no idea what were they saying but could tell that the tension has broke and he was puzzled as they were going off track. Cygnus let out a sigh of relief as she knew they have made up.

She silently thanked Phantom for his timing and he went off again, back to his airship like nothing has ever happen.

XXX

"Jake wanna have a drink?" Crow invited after the meeting. Jake shook his head.

"Mum." Jake replied before teleporting off somewhere wherever his mum live now. Crow followed him, anxious to meet his mom after so long as they haven't met for a year. They became closer as they were all family and in crucial times.

"Home." Jake said contently before offering his little brother a hand which Crow took it like a child. Together, they were greeted by the sight of a content home with Orange Mushrooms and Shrooms alike which are friendly and were no threat to them. Jake loved the Shrooms as they helped him with quite a lot of...stuff. Especially in his experiments to arrange apparatus and the junks they didn't need.

"Here. Drink this." Jake said as casually as he could, trying very hard to keep a straight face. Crow looked at it suspiciously then shrugged and drank the whole content much to Jake's amusement. It's a one-of-a-kind liquid.

Crow felt his body burning up and looked down and suddenly found the floor to be bigger. Then, he looked up and found Jake getting bigger too.

"JAKE!" Crow screamed as he kicked his knee. He was shrinking to a height of his 5-year old self. With a mind of a 13 year old.

"DAMN YOU!" Crow shouted furiously, tempted to take his sword but unable to lift it up. Instead, he used martial arts which is most effective against Jake. Jake had forgotten that Crow is the best among them in terms of martial arts and had to run for his life, defending as he did so against Crow's fury. With much difficulties and their screaming and shouting and yelling had interrupt their mother from her slumber. Therefore, punching their lights out using her 'fear'. Her weapon was just a fan but it was custom-made as it's edge were actually forge with steel and sliver and tampered with magic. Thus, a suitable weapon for infusing her 'fear' with it.

They were injured at their arms and legs in a single instant. Which means she struck four times at both of them then snapped her fan shut.

"We are just renting the place here. Please do not anger them." Luna said calmly before she lay on the grass. The friendly monsters jumped in agreement before went back to sleep except for the older ones. Jake and Crow healed themselves with their abilities inherited from their mother. Crow can just relax since he is a hanyou like his mother while Jake has to use most of his stamina to heal it as he is too lazy to take his staff out.

Then, Jake grumbled while Crow complained like shit.

And that...was how the duo realized something else. Crow saw a shadow hidden at the trees for a moment but he knew better. It was Lea's shadow. Somehow, her shadow has been separated...from her body which is impossible. It vanished back to the darkness and he thought it was just him but he's not, causing Lea to be in deeper trouble. Unfortunately, Dual is the only person who can help now. Trapping her shadow and put it back to her body, and awakening her conscious again.

The shadow has only part of her conscious, what she stood for. And...part of her soul is still there.

XXX

**Earlier, 5 days ago**

_"NOW!" Lea's and Talos's voice resonate each other when Order and Chaos were free. The barrier which they unintentionally made using both of their magic were crumbling. Fortunately for them, Damien was unable to intervene the moment the magic summoning circle of Chaos and Order appeared and it blocked her shouting. With her remaining energy, she and Talos went into a deep slumber. But before Talos was in the same boat with Lea, he sent a signal to Dual and Leviathan who picked it after 5 days._

_'Good luck...' the duo thought at the same time and her shadow was separated, causing her unable to wake up unless the shadow is with her again._

XXX

**Ariant**

Dual sniffed the air and sensed that he was being watch again. The sand sparkled so brightly under the sun that it hurt to look at. So, he wore a sunglasses to counter that. Although it wasn't his style, Leviathan insisted. It was getting more frequent each time he visited Ariant.

Sooner or later, Dual will find Lea. He was hot on her trail now.

"Give me a few more days and I will find ya..." Dual made a promise to Lea before a sandstorm came and blocked his sight. He fought against it at the same time, the sun went down as it was already going to be nightfall.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the short chapter. Like I said earlier in the earlier this chapter that I don't have much time for this until August or I think October than only I am free to write more. Besides, I need a break sometimes and I'm doing a character list and I'm currently accepting beta readers. **


	14. Chapter 14 Dragonstone Part 1

**A/N: These freaking symbols are so damn hard to do...hello2000...thanks for theses symbols. :D. « , » I really need to know whether my writing has improved or it just got worse. I'm serious. I wanted to improve and I'm trying my very best to do it.  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own MapleStory nor the characters inside it.  
**

* * *

Leviathan growled at a certain place as unpleasant memories return to him. Dual noticed what he saw and trudged towards the site. They had traveled for 4 days already and they haven't found the location yet.

Lea's shadow watched them from beneath. As she did so, she caught Dual's attention for being out of place. Dual smiled before beckoning her shadow to follow him. She did.

"We finally found her shadow..." Dual cheered. "One problem down another to go."

Looking down at Lea's shadow he whispered softly, "Go to the Time Temple. Do whatever you can to stay alive. I will bring your body there later or at Leafre for a spiritual awakening." She nodded at him as she slipped into the darkness. Dual watched her shadow till the sun fully set. He forced himself to turn back towards the site.

"Any ideas?" Dual asked Leviathan who was at the sky. Leviathan orbited around him before descending towards Dual.

"No. But I have pinpoint her position. It's right underneath us and the entrance is neither here nor there." Leviathan answered, pointing to another direction. "But from here, 400 meters from our position is another entrance and I'm afraid it's sealed. I advised you to camp here because I saw multiple monsters around the entrance and it's not any monster we've seen. Not only that, her dark mana must have been used to create those _things_."

"North?" Dual asked. Leviathan shook his mighty head.

"No. Northwest."

"Fine. But I can't use those skills yet. It puts a heavy burden on my body."

"Aye. You are not ready yet but I hope you can use..._that_."

Dual scowled at Leviathan before taking out his sleeping bag and slept inside. Leviathan kept a sharp lookout but after a few seconds, he went back to Dual's body to rest and recuperate. Moments later, the sandstorm began again for the third time. He tossed and turn in his sleep, his mask blocking the sand from entering his mouth much to Leviathan's relieve.

XXX

**Aqua Road**

"Can I buy this?!" Orchid asked, holding up an adorable plushie. Aran resisted the urge to face-palm. Wolfie was waiting outside with an air bubble on her head to breathe. It was a custom to see in Aqua road especially to those who can't breathe underwater. Even their attacks were slowed down. And that's why Aran hated to be in the underwater. First problem, breathing. Another problem, the monsters who can fight underwater has the advantage of speed and they had no time limit. And last but not least, the ocean is freaking cold.

"Orchid..." Aran trailed off. They were suppose to find the 'Dragonstone' for Aran to control her dragonic powers. Instead of answering her back, Aran browsed the items they had.

_'A few potions. Need to restock. Hmmm...' Aran thought as she picked one of the snorkles up, a spoil of war. 'Perhaps this will give me some profit...but I have 40 of those...how am I going to sell them all...hmmmm...hmmmm...screw this shit just forced sell.' _

XXX

One of the seller gasped at the sight of those...snorkles.

"Those are worth a fortune! How did you get it?" the person asked. Aran just look puzzle.

"It's one of those ummm...Scuba Pepe?" Aran answered.

"No. I did not say the snorkles. I say THAT!" he shouted at her pointing at something. Aran picked it up and examined it. It was a golden ring with a huge diamond in the middle.

"A 100k for this ring. Deal or no deal?" Aran suggested with a poker face on. The seller grinned before passing her two sacks which worth 100k in total.

"Thank you." Aran said. Snatching the bags away and tossing him the golden ring. "Oh. You can have these too." she said as she shoved the snorkles to his side. Her eyes glinted at Orchid which made Orchid very uneasy.

"And no." Aran finally answered Orchid's question. But Orchid had already bought it and was cuddling it. Aran snatched it as she was unable to resist it's cuteness. Orchid smirked mischievously at her. In the end, they reached Ludibrium by dawn. They searched for an inn but the bed were all legos. Therefore, they rather sleep in their sleeping bags than the rough...bed.

The next morning, they climbed down using the Eos Tower. Lots of Ratz were eliminated in progress. Aran spared some of them since they have done nothing to harm her.

"Oh shit. I forgot to restock the potions." Aran said. Then, she cursed in another language. The runes around her were more clearer than ever.

"Pole Arm Booster!" she said and pure energy filled her pole arm, allowing her to attack faster than usual. She did not bother to count but sensed that she can now activate 'Combo Drain'. She did and a big red symbol appear at her body before vanishing.

"Now I don't have to worry about the injuries..." Aran muttered mostly to herself. "What do you suggest, Maha?"

Maha came out grumbling from her pole arm.

"How about 'Snow Charge'?" Maha suggested. Aran considered for a moment before the air around her got literally colder. A big white snow flake appear on top of her before dissolving into tiny little particles and infused itself with her weapon. She did not bother to shout. Her pole arm has a bluish aura around it this time.

"It's freezing!" Orchid shouted at her ear. Aran's vein twitched.

"This shouldn't surprise you." Aran muttered under her breath before they pushed onwards to Omega Sector. They have completed half of the tower when it was nightfall already. They set up camp but ate cold rations as they had no fire. They decided not to make a fire to attract less attention plus they don't have reinforcements too if they were attack. It was pitch dark and cold but Aran and Orchid were at ease. They took turns on watch.

XXX

"That's odd..." Orchid remarked. She noticed that Aran was different than last time.

"What's odd?" Aran asked at the same time, smacking another monster to the air and slicing it into half.

"You look very different than the last time." Orchid answered. Aran snorted at her answer and smacking another monster away from Orchid and Wolfie. Including herself.

"I'm running out of mana..." Aran announced as another monster attack her from being. A white-bluish aura surround her all of the sudden and when the monsters hit her, they recoiled and ran away.

"Body Pressure." she muttered under her breath, slinging her weapon over her back. She gestured at Orchid that they should rest as she needed time to recover as they don't have any mana potions left. But what Aran needed the most is 'Pure Water' as it healed more than usual. Unfortunately, it is very expensive with her budget as she only have 500k mesos.

They sat on a what seems to be a safe spot. Monsters kept attacking them but under Aran's fierce glare, they retreated, creaking and groaning since they are clockwork monsters. Aran sighed. She was so exhausted since yesterday as they never had a good rest.

"I can't wait for a proper bed." Aran whined. Wolfie gave her mistress a accusing look which made her mistress blushed. Aran avoided their sight and began to think on what her friends are doing except for those who are 'Balancers'. Recently, she heard news that disturbed her. Especially _his _release from the seal. Aran decided to ask Lea nicely about the seal before concluding her theory. She may not be a scholar but she is still smart enough to figure things out.

Then again, she knew that it wouldn't be soon. It may even take months before Dual managed to rescue Lea from _his_ grip. As her mind wonder around, Wolfie was curious at a puddle of water from who knows where it came from. Wolfie licked the muddy water and continued to drink it until it was all licked up. Orchid made a face at her. Aran finally took out her phone and checked the time. It was almost 8 at night.

Aran tried to concentrate to gauge her mana but it was increasing very slowly. It may take a full day just to recover fully unlike magicians who can recover within a few hours depends how much mana they have. She growled in frustration. Several clockwork monsters creaked away and it was eerie to them. Again, they settled for cold rations.

XXX

**The next morning, 7:12 a.m.**

"What floor are we now?" Aran asked unexpectedly. Orchid raised her eyebrows, pointing at a sign 'Eos Tower «11th~30th Floor».' Aran did a face-palm. She wondered how she could miss it. She tried to summon at least basic magic but it sputtered out weakly. Aran blushed.

"I haven't recover fully..." Aran said. "No choice." she added under Orchid's accusing look when she climbed at the back of Wolfie. She whistled and Wolfie took it as a command as they plummeted towards the entrance. Before they hit the ground, Wolfie tore of a rope (accidentally) **(Yeah yeah I know there's no rope but let's make it a bit interesting shall we?) **with her teeth and they slowed down a bit and landed safely at the entrance. But they received a few injuries in turn, especially Wolfie. Aran can't use 'Body Pressure' as it will hurt her friends too.

"THERE!" Aran pointed at the exit and Wolfie went out, with the trail of monsters behind them. Wolfie wasn't as fast as before when she stepped onto a sharp object and she howled in pain but continued to run. Thus, worsening her condition and she was starting to see double. Aran felt Wolfie's pain like it was hers.

She whispered words of encouragement to both Wolfie and Orchid alike. An idea came to her.

"STOP!" Aran shouted and Wolfie halted. Aran jumped off and slapped Wolfie's ass to get her moving. This time, Wolfie protested but Aran cut her off when she took her pole arm out which was slung at her back.

"You're injured already." Aran pointed out, keeping her eyes on the monsters. To prove her point, Wolfie winced and growled with pain.

"I will buy you some time. Orchid. Do your best to take the sharp object out."

"That's suicide. But if you can then no problem." Orchid answered before jumping off. "After all, you're Aran..." Wolfie offered Orchid her injured paw.

"On a count to three." Orchid began, ignoring the battle behind them. "One...Two..." She pulled out. Wolfie flinched so hard that she jumped, snarling at her in the next moment. Orchid was intimidated by Wolfie but they have bigger problems to deal with when they heard an unmistakable cry of pain. Aran was on the ground, clutching her arm. Blood trickled down and making a mess on the floor.

"Shit." Orchid cursed when she saw where her weapon was. It had skidded towards the opposite side which made Aran impossible to retrieve it unless there was a big distraction.

XXX

On an impulse, Aran jumped on top of one of the Rombots. She ordered Wolfie and Orchid to run earlier as she knew they would be a hindrance to her especially on a tight space. She sprained her left arm and was trying very hard not to make the situation worse. Not only that, one of the Rombots had a lucky shot forcing her pole arm away from her grip and to the opposite side. They were anticipating her every move. She kicked her pole arm to the exit and slid on it just in time.

_'How the fuck did I do that?' she thought as the Rombots chased her. 'I'm sure Orchid is already at like the 10th or at least 9th floor...the monsters weren't that strong for her even in her weak condition.'_

She took a risk as she glanced back. She counted about 6 of them. She breathed heavily and tripped.

When she stopped at the wrong timing. She knew she is dead if she doesn't do anything about it. She kicked her pole arm outside and Maha came out giving her random advices like, "Sprain? Faster run la!" or "Don't die yet! I wanna tease you more!"

"You're not helping!" Aran half-screaming at Maha but it was too late. She almost got smashed by the Rombots until she heard a sharp sound in the air.

"Light!" a familiar voice shouted. She rolled out of their way as best as she could and tried to look at her rescuer. She smiled. It was just Luminous.

He took them out with a single skill then helped Aran up. Aran suddenly felt the pain in her sprained arm gone.

"How did you-" Aran begun to ask but was interrupted by a pair of lips. When their lips parted, Luminous gazed Aran's beautiful sky-blue eyes.

"We were in Omega Sector and we did not went to the recent meeting for your information. We were bored to...death? Well. Almost. I had no idea where Evan is now." Luminous explained. Aran took her weapon up and looked at it with loathing and distaste. They both walked out and found Orchid and Wolfie just right there.

"Oh...so that's you..." Orchid mused. Luminous scratched Wolfie's head before attacking the monsters which were alert by their presence.

"Sometimes." Orchid grumbled. "I would like to live a peaceful life."

"And sometimes. I just wish that I know where to find the 'Dragonstone'." Aran grumbled back in response, griping her pole arm tightly, she swung it in a wide arc and making a huge ruckus out of her attacks. Wolfie limped and winced when she walked, following them to the bottom of the Eos Tower.

XXX

"EHHHH?!" Orchid, Aran and Luminous exclaimed. Radio antennas were located everywhere but they formed a path towards the town. Aran then walked ahead, amazed by this weird sight as she never been to Omega Sector before.

*Click*

They were startled by the sound and were very still, aware that there's somebody watching them. Orchid was ready to run for it but Aran put her hand on hers to assure that Orchid wouldn't be afraid.

"It's a camera." Aran said calmly, very aware how much that one photo can cause trouble if taken at the right timing for them. "Let's go!"

They ran towards the entrance and found many blue uniforms with helmets on. The fence look ordinary but Orchid and Luminous knew better. The only entrance is where the people were. Aran felt her senses tingling and a voice whispering to her, _'__Come closer...'_

"Did you hear that?" Aran asked when she heard it. They gave her a confuse look. A huge building which look suspiciously like a command tower attracted her attention. Again, the spirits were pointing at it. As if in a trance, she took a step towards it and almost got electrocuted by the electric fence. Luminous pulled her back in time and the tourist over there stared at them in wonder and amusement. Aran whispered Luminous something about the voice and he merely nod in response.

Aran admired the view and looked at the map. She was very aware that Luminous is looking at her. She fingered the map and stop at Omega Sector before rolling it up and stuff it back to her sling bag. She sensed the gnawing sensation inside her getting worse as she got nearer towards the command tower. As they got closer, Aran noticed that the metals weren't ordinary metals.

She knocked on of them lightly and had no idea what she was doing and gave her three friends a mischievous grin.

"Give me a mana pot will ya?" Aran said. Luminous rummaged around his sling bag and threw her a 'Mana Elixir' which she caught it easily. She struggled with the cork and drank it, she made a bitter face before throwing it away. She tried to detect the strange power but it was gone. As if it decided to hid herself but she haven't realize because it has detect her presence and in a secret room where the scientists were trying to figure out what the 'Dragonstone' was reacting to.

"It's gone." she muttered mostly to herself. She put on a brave smile before Luminous led the way where Mercedes, Phantom, Baru and her counterpart is.

XXX

Aran marveled at one of another tall buildings and felt the same energy like earlier. This time, her senses tingled even worse and she looked up. The spirits were surrounding the building and she rushed inside. Luminous protested and chased after her much to Orchid's and the others confusion. She rushed up the flight off stairs, saying "Sorry." every time she bump into one of the occupants here. She heard a cry of outrage and some orders but it was all a numb in her ears.

"Excuse me." Aran stopped as someone said that sentence to her. She glanced to her right and see a woman with a huge glasses and a card pin onto her pocket showing '**Prof. M'**.

"Don't you know that this is a prohibited area? Young lady. I'm pretty sure that your guardian must be around here. And" Prof.M pointed at the door behind her. "I can tell you're lost and I advice you to get out of here or we will force you out."

Aran nodded politely and began to walk over to where she had entered but was lost. Luminous was out of breath and was embarrass on her sudden entrance towards the tower. When he finally located her, she was asking questions on how to get out of the tower. Luminous shook his head and pulled her cheeks lightly just to indicate that he is here.

XXX

**Room '507'**

"That was weird..." one of the scientist mumbled as they experiment with the strange stone. No matter what they do, it responded by sending out a strong flow of mana and shook a little angrily. "We must report this to ..."

"No. He doesn't want this kind of report." another scientist said, holding up a tape recorder. He started to record the experiment. "On 14th of March, the strange stone as we nickname it. 'Dragonheart' as it has an image of a dragon emblem on it started resonating with something but we had no idea what it is and are currently investigating it." He stopped recording and watched the 'Dragonheart' glowing again.

"I can't believe this..." The lights were suddenly shut off. Shadows of battle of the ancient times played across the walls, spooking the two scientists in the room out. They desperately tried to open the door but it was useless as it was lock shut.

XXX

Aran suddenly winced, sensing it's anger. She looked at the building again and shook her head.

"Hello? Knock. Knock." Mercedes said, waving her hand at her face. Aran pushed it away, trying to calm her nerves.

"You can sense can you?" her counterpart asked her in front of them. Aran nodded before sipping her tea. Orchid was bored but she was glad for a rest because they have been on the journey for two weeks now. They have filled the others in but had nothing in return much to the duos' annoyance.

"Um...girly Aran?" Orchid said at the wrong timing as the girl Aran gave her a murderous glare.

"Can you remember your surname?" Orchid asked, a bit intimated by the girl Aran. The girl Aran shook her head sadly, pouting a bit. Mercedes, Phantom, Baru and Luminous pitied them.

"And where's my journal?" she asked Phantom who suddenly froze, twitching a bit. He tried to avoid her trap but was too late.

"You lost it?" she said in a cold tone. Phantom nodded, resisting the urge to run away from her. Even when she was 14, she was scarier than Mercedes and Aria together. "Now," she grabbed her pole arm. "That is stupid." She whacked him with the flat of the pole arm, hitting his head whenever she could with Phantom running for his life but he easily outdistance her as he can jumped further than her and the weight of her weapon weigh her down.

They completely ignored the duo but the duo were making a huge scene with their actions and to make matters worse, the tourists were taking picture of them to sell them to the reporters which were secretly filming all of the Heroes. Fortunately for the Heroes, the sudden outburst of strong mana emitted from the tall tower destroyed all electronic appliances of the reporters and tourist alike. Only the Heroes and the innocent bystanders have their electronic gadgets intact which were impossible.

Aran could hear a huff from somewhere but it was silent almost immediately. Then, a sigh. She glanced around her, very aware there is or rather _something _watching.

After a long silence, the paparazzo finally left with the busybodies and tourists. Aran took a deep breath and glanced up. Sure enough, she found Vikko waiting at the sky. The sky is still blue like her eyes and she grinned as she lay down on the green grass regardless of the situation.

"Care to explain?" Phantom demanded a bit softly. She nodded before gesturing her friends to sit next to her.

"Look up." she advised them. They did and only Baru and her counterpart exclaimed in surprise.

_'...So far...Lea has been in a deep slumber with ahh...the legendary Dragon of Time. Right now, you should be heading back. Your 'Dragonstone' can wait. Or...' Vikko said in their minds. _Flapping his wings to create a gust around them. _'You can get it now but risk yourself expose.'_

_'If that's the case...we will just help her.' Phantom pointed out, patting her head. 'Don't you agree?'_

_'No problem. Stupid thief...' _She glared at Phantom._  
_

Phantom rolled his eyes and grumbled about doing a duo mission again. Vikko flew away and waited for his time to be called again.

"Fine. Let's split our jobs up. Luminous and Mercedes you can try to research more about...I forgot. Aran and Baru..." She turned towards them with a frown. "I thought you were suppose to look for...somebody? Take Ven with you. He's gonna be more useful to you in tracking things. Orchid, Wolfie. Wait here. Do whatever you want but be on standby."

"So it's just two of us eh?" Phantom asked a bit too innocently.

"Don't remind me. The last we were pair up with each other in a mission. You were hitting on almost every fairy who is a girl on Orbis." she muttered. "Nice try to steal info by the way."

"Why, thank you." Phantom said a bit sarcastically as he made a bow. Aran rolled her eyes.

"And look for Evan too!" Aran added before kicking Phantom at the shins for fun and pulled him away from the group. Luminous clenched and unclenched his fists as he was jealous of Phantom but knew that his girlfriend could take care of himself. He took a brochure and stuffed it into his sling bag for mailing to Lania who was at his home, probably bored out of her mind.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the late update and actually I wanted to make this longer but I have to do my folio plus woodwork. Don't expect fast update like last year.  
**


	15. Chapter 15 Dragonstone Part 2

**A/N: Sorry for the late update. Enjoy!**

* * *

"I don't really get it..." Phantom remarked. Aran gave him a confused look and mouthed, 'Huh?'

"What's the journal so important to you?"

Aran's expression darkened.

_'Of course. They didn't know my secret after all.' she thought.  
_

"I'm not sure whether I can tell you this and make sure you don't gossip about it." Aran said wearily, they were at the entrance of the tall building again but this time, all the guards over there recognized her and halt her and Phantom. Aran reasoned with them but they were like robots, obeying their master only.

"General..." one of the guards exclaimed and the others took up the call and salute to the general. He was an old man but surprisingly fit and at his shoulder showed a few white stripes and five stars on it.

"What's going on?" he asked. "Stand down. I see that they meant no harm." he said when he saw the duo at the entrance.

"I apologize for my soldier rudeness. You see...Last week, we found a strange stone."

"A strange stone?" Phantom asked suspiciously. The General nodded.

"Forgive me if I do not introduce myself. But here are some security problems at the moment and I'm afraid you have to come back another time." The General said with a hint of impatience.

"So do we." Aran retorted.

XXX

Aran was in a bad mode because of the super duper idiotic General. Or so they thought.

"I seriously need a-" She covered her mouth as she almost cursed about their bad luck which they always had regardless of the situation or time or day.

"Never mind." she grumbled.

XXX

**Earlier**

_"You must be kidding." Aran said with defiance. "So you actually hid it in Ereve?"_

_Phantom nodded. _

_"But I completely forgot where I put it..." He watched as her face turned red with anger before saying, "Not." _

_"WHY YOU LITTLE-" Aran began._

_"Don't worry. I will find it assuming we have the chance. And..." He tapped the side of his hat. "I will do this alone." The cards covered him and disappeared, leaving no trace of the 'Master Thief'.  
_

XXX

_'I can't believe that he tricked me. Doesn't he know how important is it? If he saw it...' _Aran shuddered at the thought. She was on the grass now, watching the clouds drifting by and was contented. She had the drawings of him and Aria and the things in the past which happened. But not only that, there's one more secret it's hiding...

_'I can't tell Luminous yet...I don't want to freak him out any more than I want to...Oh, maybe...' _She flipped a coin into the air. "Maybe not."

"Not what?" a familiar voice asked. Aran smiled.

"Yo! Glad you can make it."

"Hahahahaha. Very funny Aran." Mercedes said a bit sarcastically. "So what were you saying?"

"I thought you were with Luminous."

"Sorry. I ditched him on the way."

Aran raised her eyebrows.

"Because..."

Luminous was there in a blink of an eye. Mercedes was startled and almost hit Aran with her legs. Aran scrambled backwards and hit the tree with her back.

"Ouch!"

"Sorry." Luminous apologized with a smile. "I had no idea what you were asking us to find."

Aran took a while to register his statement as she watched Luminous posture, as if he were aching.

"I forgot." Aran said before smiling.

"Oh, shut up!" Mercedes retorted.

"Ask that fucking-"

Aran glared at Luminous. He gulped.

"Look. I had no idea what he is doing right now. But. Since he is so used to avoiding security for so long, he has the best experience among all of us...to infiltrate." Aran pointed out. She looked really sad as she remembered what Phantom told her when she asked why he is fighting against the Black Mage.

XXX

Aran fought against one of those aliens and found it a bit annoying since they can fly and fight in a long distance which is out of her reach due to her height. But, Luminous and Mercedes helped her overcome that as they stunned the aliens (literally) there and she was very grateful.

"Judgement~" Aran said as a huge pole arm (actually hers) which magically increased in size and smashed the aliens in the sky as they were within her reach. It froze even the ground and the surrounding radius of the pole arm. She picked it up and it went back to normal.

"Shall we head back?" Luminous asked, breathing heavily and panting. The girls nodded at him and passing through the gates, back to Omega Sector.

"Speaking of which...what are you suppose to do with the 'Dragonstone'?" Luminous asked. "I mean," He raised his hands. "What can it do to you and what can you do for it?"

"Lumi-" Mercedes opened her mouth but Aran sensed danger and was tensed.

"Duck!" she yelled as she pushed the duo down and herself just in time to avoid a laser beam. She glanced back. The Aliens aren't going to let them leave so easily.

Aran started cursing in two different languages that Luminous suspected that it wasn't complimentary to the monsters. Then, he realized something else, Aran was trembling. As if it reminded her of something bad.

"You!" Aran screamed and scrambled backwards with fear.

"Yes...me...I wonder how are you doing?" a familiar voice reached their ears. Aran whimpered. She will never forget it, the person who destroyed her life and aid The Black Mage.

_"Arkarium,_" Luminous hissed. "What are you doing here?" He readied his staff and his orb floated around him.

"Why...isn't it obvious? I've come to take her back. To my master."

"GO AWAY!" Aran shouted, covering her ears and was at the back of Mercedes. It wasn't the first time but she feared Arkarium, one of the old commanders of The Black Mage. When they looked at her eyes, they found her eyes were wild and cornered like an animal who was trapped with no way out.

"The river flows in you..." he taunted and started lashing attacks onto them. "And someone occupy the space...a little girl saw the darkness...and fall into despair!"

"STOP IT!" Aran shouted a bit hysterically. But he continued to sing those words over and over again. It jogged her memory and she felt her head pound painfully then she realized it was a spell. The very same spell that suddenly drained all her energy, leaving her weak and helpless against her enemies. She felt her knees buckle and her vision went black.

Arkarium smiled with victory. But, he had to deal with her two friends.

"What." Luminous began as they were face to face, pushing Arkarium backwards with his weapon, which revealed it's true form as a 'Shining Rod'. "DID YOU DO?!" he demanded angrily. Arkarium merely smiled wickedly at him.

"A simple thing. A spell. Suitable for a person like her. I doubt it would work on the...never mind. After all, I want my pride back."

Luminous snarled. "That won't be possible." His red eye glowed with fire before he unleashed his dark magic at him.

"I see...you're struggling after all." Arkarium cackled. "Miracles don't happen often. Like...this!" He unleashed his pet onto Aran, it's fangs poised to strike. But somebody knocked it away. Unexpectedly, Phantom has arrived.

He twisted his cane a bit and it morphed into a gun and his card in the air, glowing emerald green.

Arkarium retreated immediately when he saw who arrived. He wasn't glad and was furious at the trio for interrupting his plans. Phantom checked on Aran and frowned.

"Her mind is in fragile state." he stated before carrying her up at his back. "I will fill in the details _if _she wakes up early from that spell."

XXX

Mercedes checked Aran's temperature. She shook her head at the boys, Orchid and Wolfie. Aran twitched in her sleep before whimpering. They were in a room which an old couple kindly lent it to them.

"The spell? I suspect it's something that will trigger her darkest past. Something that has traumatized her for years. Seriously, I think she stopped aging two years ago and started aging now." Orchid explained. Mercedes demanded for her answer.

"Because...time...is like a river." Orchid explained a bit exasperated. "As for what he said, 'The river flows in you'...since when he's good with illusions?"

"Good point." Aran said, finally woke up. She panted a bit. "It was strong but not strong enough prevent me from breaking through it though." She put her head on her hands, shivering and sweating. Luminous hugged her and pat her back. She was grateful and snuggled into his embrace. They didn't notice that Orchid, Mercedes and Phantom had slip out. She cried the tears of sadness and soak Luminous's clothes which he was wearing.

He wiped those tears away with his fingers and smiled sadly. He stayed with her even though he was dead tired. He realized that Aran was quiet and was now sleeping. He poked her cheek a little before crashing the same bed with her.

XXX

Mercedes and Orchid knew the plan and Phantom had asked them to tell it to Aran when she wakes up. They too, were tired and desperately need sleep. They slumped into a sofa and snored.

Phantom yawned. "I going to hit the sack. See ya!"

The cards surrounded him again and transported him to his airship, 'Lumiere'. He tipped his hat a bit forward and went to his cabin. He took off his trademark clothes before dressing himself into a normal T-shirt which he despised and a trackbottom (which he also despised) but he was feeling a little weary. He snuggled into his soft cushions of pillows and a blanket which were sewed by the finest cotton in the Maple World.

_'It wasn't common to see Arkarium around here.' he mused. 'What is his objective?'_

He closed his eyes as if he was suddenly detrieved of energy and felt that he should ponder the matter the next day. He had a blissful dream.

XXX

**The next day**

Phantom woke up late morning and was still tired. But he forced himself out of the bed and walked barefoot towards the kitchen. He blinked a bit and poured himself some porridge from the kitchen. The chefs dare not try to stop him. He kicked the door open and sat at the head of the table and took a spoon and dipped it. He began to eat.

He blinked again and stretched after eating and went back to his room. He wore his trademark clothes when he went out and went towards the deck to look at the clouds. Then, he dived down and was unhurt as he had been doing that for years. He landed right in front of Aran and she scrambled back in surprise and her vein twitching.

"You know." She tiptoed and pull his cheek painfully. "You really love to make yourself late and lazy." Phantom grimaced.

"So found out anything about-" Phantom said with difficulty but was interrupted by Wolfie who jumped onto him, licking his face. "Agh. Okay. Okay." He pushed Wolfie away his face wet with her saliva. Aran tossed him a tower which is actually Mercedes's with a mischievous glint in her eyes. The moment he wiped himself, Aran snickered. Then, roll on the floor laughing. Then, it dawned on Phantom that this might be Mercedes's. He threw it at her face and muffled her laughter.

"Aran!" he said murderously. Aran peeled the towel of her face, still laughing.

"Awww. Come on. can't you take a little joke?" Aran then swung her pole arm. "I know you have news and...the message to those two are fake isn't it? The real message is actually from you. That's why. I'm waiting!" She slammed her pole arm down to the ground. Phantom grinned at her.

_'Interesting. She can see me like an an open book...' he thought. _

XXX

"She got him." Orchid muttered as she watched from the open window. "She recover so fast from that one little spell and she's confident."

Mercedes nodded in agreement, scowling at Aran for taking her towel away which she kept for...punishment.

"I no longer have doubts now. She's a magic canceller."

"What?!" Mercedes turned and with surprise on her face. "But...I thought she can just manipulate water." Orchid shook her head.

"Arkarium...he just made a big mistake. But then again," Orchid shrugged. "I doubt she could control it."

Mercedes nodded.

"That explains a lot...why some magic attacks doesn't connect with her." Mercedes said with a smile. At least now she knew that they had a valuable ally but was sadden by the fact that Freud won't be able to witness it like what he told her his secret.

XXX

**Flashback**

_"Freud!" Mercedes called. "Don't you want your food?" This time with concern. Freud shook his head, his hairband shone softly under the light of a candle.  
_

_"Why? Are you worried?" he called teasingly. Mercedes felt her cheeks flushed._

_"Aran was worried." _

_"Is that so? What about you?"_

_"OF COURSE I AM!"_

_Freud clicked his tongue teasingly. Then, he obliged to the girls' wishes._

_Afrien snorted when he found his master there with Mercedes then went back to chit-chatting with Aran who seemed unafraid despite his huge size. She knew that Afrien is a dragon but was actually content with the information unlike Mercedes who was still nervous after meeting Afrien for 3 days. Mercedes smiled at Aran who seemed to be happy for once. Then, there was Luminous.  
_

_She never understood him. So serious about light but his cheeks turned red a bit when he saw Aran. Aran just smiled and wave at him._

_"Mercedes..." Freud called. Waving his arms at Mercedes who looked distracted._

_"Ummhmph?" she said. _

_"I think there's a good chance there is a magic canceller in our party." he whispered and she perked up. _

_Magic canceller are hard to find. Much less, still exist._

_"Are you sure?" _

_Freud nodded at her confidently._

_"I hope to see one."_

_"Good luck with that then."_

_Freud flashed her a smile and nodded gratefully at her before he scarfed down his food and went back to his research. Mercedes meant well when she said that as she too, always gave him encouragement at crucial times. That's when their friendship deepens and they develop feelings for each other but neither of them had the guts to confess their feelings with each other. _

XXX

Aran scowled at Phantom. She was forced to wear one of those lab-coats and a T-shirt like theirs and shorts. Phantom laughed softly behind her back.

"I fucking hate your plan." she stated, wearing fake lens and her hair was tied into a bun. Because of that, she looked like a junior professor.

He continued to laugh and gather Aran's tribal clothes and fold it. He hid it at the bushes nearby.

"Of course. As usual, I will monitor you from the outside." He sniggered. Aran fumed before mixing with a crowd of scientist and a fake I.D pinned on her breast pocket. Aran strode towards the entrance and her I.D was scanned. It may be fake but Phantom had stolen one of the I.D and just put her face with it.

Aran growled in frustration. She tried her best to look like one of them but she was lost. Then, finally, she found the elevator and press the '7'. That's what Phantom asked her to do.

_'Good. Once you reach down, look out for the sign saying 'Room 507'. That's what one of the woman whom I charmed said though.' Phantom unexpectedly telepathic with her._

_'You're an idiot.' Aran retorted in her mind. _She glanced around, each time she saw the number starting from '70'.

"90..." she muttered under her breath. Her senses tingled again.

_'Come...you're getting closer...my lady...' the voice said to her before trailing off. _Unexpectedly, Aran's senses heighten. She was able to sense where the 'Dragonstone' is kept. She hasten her speed, her boots making echoes with the metal.

_'As a warrior, her stealth is so bad this time.' Phantom thought as he did a face-palm. _

_'And I heard that!"_

_'Sorry.'_

Aran tried to do a poker face but was imagining Phantom dealing with Mercedes later. Then, her expression turned serious when she saw the number '507'. There was nobody around so she peek inside and saw two scientist, their cheeks look hollow and their eyes were wild like a cornered animal.

"Congratz! You just meddle with it..." Aran snarled at the two scientist before dragging them out.

"Who. Who are you?" one of them asked. Aran was shocked how weak they were.

"A girl..." she trailed off before laying them on the cool metal. "Stay here. And don't move. You are weak now."

"Wait..." he croaked. He turned to look at her face but his eyes were unfocused on her. "You can't...it will..."

"Sleep." Aran said in her best sternest tone. They did not resist and Aran closed their eyes gently, not to wake them up. She pulled the lab coat tighter around her. And stepped into the room again.

She felt a burning pain at her shoulder, especially at her right. She gritted her teeth, careful not to knock her right shoulder and looked at the 'Dragonstone'.

It was beautiful in many ways but it was creepy in one way. It cast a shadow of a dragon who is breathing out flames. She stared at the shadow and it seemed to register her presence. The 'Dragonstone' glowed brightly and Aran turned away. But she was temporary blinded. Then, the alarms blared outside but it was dulled in her ears. Against her will, she approached it and touched it.

The star shape on her right shoulder was fully form and Aran saw a vision of herself when she wore a wedding dress, looking happy and found Luminous at the altar waiting for her. With her friends whooping and cheering. She also spotted some unfamiliar faces but they were also cheering. Then, she found that Lea looking well and happy with her arms around with another boy who has the same similarities with Valfor in terms of skin colour and hair colour. She gave Aran a wink and mimed a kiss with her hands. But there was a scar at her cheek.

_'All this will be gone...if one of you are killed. Survive this bitter war. Put the end to this. Unlock your hidden ability. And you will have this kind of ending.' the voice said. _It sent her an image of it's true form.

It was has hazel eyes, like Baru. It's scales, glittering turquoise and it's wings, tattered as if somebody has sliced it. When Aran locked eyes with it, it showed sadness and despair.

_'My name is...Palkia...remember this...I will be going now...I will lend you my aid whenever you need, my lady...' it said, baring it's teeth at Aran. _

She grasped the 'Dragonstone' and hugged it. Then, it cracked and became so small that it could fit at her finger. She held it tightly then ran away but was too late.

"Surrender the 'Dragonheart'!" one of the soldiers ordered. Aran grinned.

"Try me." she said, taunting them. One of them tried to taser her but she just somersault over them and landed on her feet before resuming her escape. Phantom grabbed her arm at the 6th floor as he had requested Aran to be and dashed off, leaving the soldiers and scientists in dust.

"You owe me." Phantom said teasingly before they met up with their friends in the old couple's house.

* * *

**A/N: Night! If this is boring up to you, sorry but I'm damn tired and busy reading manga at the same time.  
**


	16. Chapter 16 Awakening

**Lea's conscious  
**

_"Huh?" she asked, as she looked into the memory which was buried within her, she spotted Damien and she gasped. Then, she realized she had forgotten that she had actually met him, with Jake 10 years ago. Then, she was there suddenly as her younger self, remembering what she thought. _

_When Jake wasn't around, she felt his teeth and retract her hand, wiping her hand at his sleeveless shirt. She watched as the two sharp fangs suddenly sprang out of his teeth. _

_"Aren't you scared of me, now?" he asked. But Lea touched it. She was gentle as she did not want to hurt him unintentionally. It was hard and sharp but also thin, able to pierce flesh easily, unlike her father's or mother's. Damien was surprise by her sudden actions but did not comment on it. He looked at her with new interest.  
_

_He patted her head and look at her innocent eyes. He smiled._

_Then, he asked, "You got an apple?" She mutely nod before pulling an apple out of her basket which she brought earlier. She offered it to him and he took it, grinning at her at the same time. After he ate the apple, leaving it's core, he looked at the sky then back at her.  
_

_She was busy staring at the fangs which he forgot to retract. He pulled her hand closer and touched his fangs again. She did not wavered._

_"Knock. Knock." Damien said. Lea finally look up. He released her hand and retract his fangs._

_"What's your last name?" he asked her gently. She smiled kindly and gave him an unwavering gaze._

_"Stelar."_

_"Stelar? So your last name is Stelar?"_

_Lea nodded._

_"That's a beautiful name..." he trailed off. Other than his family, Lea was the first person who accepts him. "I'm leaving tomorrow. My injuries has healed." he announced to Lea. Her expression turned to shock.  
_

_"But...it's only two weeks...are you sure?" she asked. He nodded with a sad smile on his face. But he had already forgotten their name.  
_

_XXX_

_That same night, she couldn't sleep as she was worried about Damien. But when she finally did, she dreamt of herself being older. She saw a long road ahead of her and there were three roads, each of them leading to a different place. But all three of them had a huge looming figure at the end, even in a dream she could sensed his presence.  
_

_When she woke up, Jake was right beside her, looking concern and pushed her hair back. Then, she rubbed her eyes, daylight had entered the room. She stretched before forcing herself out of the comfy bed. She banged the door, signalling that her father should hurry. She held her jeans and a cotton T-shirt in her arms as she waited patiently for her father to come out._

_At the same time, she saw Jake grabbing a healthy snack, an apple from the table and carefully keep it away from their little brother, who was still a baby that time. When her father finally came out, Jake threw her a towel and she entered. She stripped herself from her jammies before entering the hot water and start to scrub herself. Then, she looked at the mirror which was at the corner, showing just the reflection of the wall. _

_For the next few minutes, she had a blissful rest. Then, Jake had to interrupt her with his super annoying banging._

_She scowled when she wiped herself dry and dressing up before kicking Jake at the face and snatched an apple from the table and ran out, with Jake behind her, laughing at his own antics. She then left him in the dust but Jake caught up with her easily since he's wearing casual clothes.  
_

_Damien watched them from afar and laughed softly. He was actually waiting for them._

_"If you're going...take this." Lea handed him the apple and grinned. Jake grinned with her._

_"Sayōnara!" he said. Damien raised his eyebrows in surprise before walking away from them. They watched him until he disappeared from their sight. That time, they didn't know that their fates were entwine with each other. Including their younger brother, Crow. _

XXX

**Somewhere close to the hideout of The Black Mage**

Dual muddied his shoes and clothes and his clothes reek of both blood and dirt. He had killed the monsters which were protecting the entrance after two long days without rest. He released a sigh of relief.

_'We are here...' Leviathan announced. _Dual but his own arm lightly, enough to spill blood and flung it towards the stone door which were a glamor. He instantly regenerate because he absorbed the darkness of the monsters or more likely, the dark magic.

It vanished and he rushed through, just in time. All the injuries on him were gone and he smelled the smell of a rotten corpse.

"The Black Mage..." he muttered. "He's here."

_'Just my luck...' Leviathan growled. 'Hurry. You have to go further underground. At least one floor, she's there.' _

Dual mumbled something about Leviathan and his weird ego.

He decided to rush through, fortunately for him, Damien wasn't around. But The Black Mage is.

When he had entered a huge room, he gasped. The Black Mage was there, waiting for him,

"I see this is the new generation of Balancers..." he mused. "Interesting..."

"Would you new batch be strong...or crushed like insects?" He put his hands up, at the same time, chains erupted from the ground. It started blocking the exits, but allowing the entrance to the dungeon open.

"I ain't got time for that." Dual said murderously, becoming a shadow for a second and dashed through the chains and headed underground. When he caught her scent, he ran a bit faster, and when he was at the door. He noticed that her weapons aren't with her. Nor the necklace which held Talos. He cursed rapidly before trying to locate her weapons and Talos. Then, he noticed something else, around her neck, he found a star shape pendant and growled.

It was a trap.

"Fuck!" he cussed again. He turned into a shadow again and black flames were emitting from his body. Giving away his location and The Black Mage knew that this Balancer is strong. And knew that it would be suicide to fight him in his weaken state. Instead, he let them go, as he found them very interesting.

XXX

When Dual finally found her weapons and the necklace which held Talos, he sheathed his katana but not his dagger. He held the necklace with his left, along with his dagger and the two swords, one at his mouth, another at his left hand. He slammed the steel bar with his shoulder and felt a sharp pain in his body.

"MMPHHH!" he screamed.

By attacking the cell bar, Dual has left himself vulnerable from outside attack, such as mind, body and soul. Dual breathed heavily, then, wisely used his dagger, along with Talos's power to break it. The cell bar shattered into a million pieces and fell down on the floor with a _clang_. Lea didn't even budge and Dual growled in frustration. It was stupid for him to come alone.

But he didn't know who are the others are. He release Lea's black and red sword, 'Tryfing' from his mouth and it clattered against the stone floor.

"Come out and play! Leviathan!" he shouted, the mark of Leviathan glowed on his arm and rose. But the space was a bit too tight for him but he has done his job by taking Dual's burden away. Unexpectedly, 'Tryfing' was pulled towards Leviathan and it orbited around him. Dual released her sliver/green sword. This time, it did not orbited around Leviathan but went to it's partner, 'Tryfing'. The string that held it together flew from Aran's wrist which she kept and tied it together. Then, it landed towards Lea's lap, it's true master.

Dual then grabbed hold of one of her arms and the string tied around her back. He made sure that Leviathan was back in his body before departing. But this time, not using shadow-travel. Since Leviathan once live this place, he too, can use magic, any kind without trouble. He held Lea in his arms tightly and made sure that her weapons weren't left behind before bending the shadows to his will, making a portal.

"You'll be all right." Dual whispered although Lea couldn't hear him. He stepped into the portal.

XXX

Dual walked across the flat land silently, the breeze blew at his face. He grinned, he put Lea down and removed his mask and his scarf followed the breeze, flapping behind him. He sheathed his dagger and let out a sigh of relief. The first thing that came into his mind that he wasn't alone.

He recognized the landscape. And found a certain thief looking at him with amazement. Dual couldn't place where he saw the face before. But the thief helped him with that.

"_You!_" he said with venom. "What. Are. _YOU. _Doing. Here?!"

Finally Dual remembered.

"Jordan..eh? What a coincidence." Dual answered with a mocking tone.

"Isn't that the...Balancer like you?" Jordan asked, he frowned at Dual. Dual shrugged.

"Her name is Lea. But right now, I've some business with her in...actually I could use some help."

"And what is it?"

"Can you take care of her for a few hours? I need a break." Dual wiped the sweat off his face. "I do realize that I can't do this alone."

"True. It's looks like you've just recently been through a hard battle. And why is there no injuries on you although your shirt is torn?" Jordan pointed at him, his eyes registering how impossible it is. Only his clothes showed that he had been through some battle but his skin show otherwise. His shirt has been cut by blades but his skin was as pale as usual. Even his scarf wasn't spare.

Dual did not answer instead, make sure that Lea was in a shade and watched her breathe. Then, he arranged her twin swords, one on her right, and one on her lay down next to her, closing his eyes, grateful that at least Jordan is here to help in babysitting.

Time slipped through his fingers without anyone knowing.

When Dual woke up, he found that it was already nightfall and stretched himself. Jordan was there, looking at them with concern etched in his features. He stood up and gave Jordan a quick nod before scooping Lea up into his arms and continue his destination. Although Jordan followed Dual, Dual did not ask him to scram but advised him to be careful as the journey they will be making will be harsh. He forced Jordan to carry the twin swords.

When they reached an overgrown forest, even the moon and starts can't guide them. Dual had to rely on Leviathan to help and activate Leviathan's eyes which made Dual's eyes glow but enable him to see in total darkness.

But it also freaked Jordan out.

"Shh..." Dual hushed Jordan as his breathing was a bit rag. "It's been so long since I've been here..."

"What?" Jordan asked, bewildered. "You came here before?"

"Yes. In spirit. Dreams..."

Jordan kept quiet. Although he has lots of questions to ask Dual, he decided that this wasn't the time to do it. After a few hours of walking and hearing the crickets chirping, Dual stopped and Jordan saw why.

A pure white stone stood their way and a person was sitting on it. But she has pale skin, piercing green eyes and wore a nightgown. Her aura was so cold and when she looked at Jordan, his heart almost leap out out of fear. Her hair, was white too. She jumped down but it was like a breeze. She went towards Dual and locked eyes with him. She saw her determination and destiny. But she also saw doubts and sadness. She waved her hand and the pure white stone disappear. She beckoned the two boys and went ahead.

They passed by so many overgrown trees, bushes and wild flowers that they have lost count. Once in a while, Jordan will spot a dark silhouette _that _wasn't human.

The only sound is the ragged breathing of Dual and Jordan. The chirping of the birds and the bushes rustled. The leaves fell from their respective branches. With the rain dropping softly onto their faces and clothes which were soak with their sweat. Lea shuddered, as if she could sense something was close even in her unconscious state.

"I am 'The Watcher'..." the strange female finally spoke. Her voice was surprisingly soft. "I am a spirit of both sides. Light and darkness. I am the neutral one. I watch your destiny, past, future and pain. The battle takes three centuries continues...and the battle between the Balancers and the Transcendence of Darkness...the curtain will be drawn to a close. I fear that it would not be soon..."

Jordan was too freak out.

"So...you're basically the stalker? Ultimate stalker?" Jordan asked, trying to keep fear out of his voice but it was in vain.

"Yes and no." she answered softly. "Right now...I am the guardian of both sides...I've watched death many times although it breaks my heart when the good dies..."

'The Watcher' stopped all of the sudden. So does Dual and Jordan.

A stone table carved of the scene of life, cracked and the pictures almost fade. The natural light of the moon streamed onto it by a hole of the trees. Dual walked towards it and settle Lea there. His arms ached for carrying her for so long. When it shone at her face, Lea's shadow appeared over there. Dual can't tell whether her shadow was surprised or not as it does not have a face.

Then, the impossible happened.

Lea's shadow extended until it connected the stone table and rose to her feet.

Jordan caught his breath. Lea stirred in her sleep and the swords glowed in Jordan's arm. Lea suddenly sat up and Dual smiled. She outstretch her hands and the swords were wrench out of Jordan's grip and flew to her side.

"Thanks Dual." Lea finally said, her voice hoarse. "How long was I out?"

"A week!" Dual retorted, tossing her a bottle water. Lea groaned before uncapping the bottle and gulped down the drink greedily.

Jordan raised his eyebrows. It was getting interesting. "That's. So. _Freaking_. Cool!"

"What's cool?!" Lea and Dual snapped at him.

"Nothing."

"Nothing." Lea mimicked Jordan's voice perfectly and giggled. "Oh, by the way, have you find out who are the remaining three? Can you fill me up? Can you-"

Dual did a T with his arms to indicate timeout. He looked extremely confused but his expression immediately changed to amuse as Lea fell down onto the ground with a loud _thump_.

Dual chuckled to himself with amusement before helping Lea up who was trying to get her bearings. "You have to rest."

Lea's expression soften. "I know." She finally can walk but she was still in a bad shape as she still leaning heavily against Dual.

"Easy." Dual carried her swords which were weighing her down all of the sudden and she pass out. He glanced at Jordan.

"Wanna follow?"

"Why not? I was hoping for that word." Jordan said mockingly.

"What word?"

"You know. The word."

Dual raised his eyebrows at the same time, did a what-the-heck-are-you-talking-about face. "What word _word_ are you talking about?"

"The word. _Word_!" Jordan retorted. He smirked at Dual who was starting to think that Jordan is losing his marbles. He shrugged nonchalantly before swiping the air with his free hand.

Dual has two ways of traveling in a short time . The first was to swipe the air, imagining the darkness. In other words, a portal. The other one was willing the darkness which is more effective at night or dark areas, to form in front of him or he went to the shadow of an object. Shadow-travel. Only demons (a.k.a youkai) or a person who has a part of demon inside him, especially blood, strong demon blood, are able to do it. Dual was a rare case as he actually host Leviathan, a Dragon of Darkness, is actually a part of darkness. Or to be more specific, the embodiment of darkness.

Dual gestured that Jordan should go first. When Jordan was gone, he glanced around, and caught a glimpse of sliver. But it faded back to the shadow and left Dual a bad feeling about this whole thing. Sure enough, he felt a shiver running through his spine and went sideways into the portal. Then, his vision went black.

XXX

Jordan was right in front of the portal and caught the duo. Dual coughed out blood. His back has been clawed by something and he struggled to keep Lea in his arms. He dumped Lea right into Jordan's hands and quickly took his backpack and searched for his supplies. He panted and blinked so many times, he wiped his forehead with the back of his hand and finally took out what he was searching for.

The super duper rare herb that Lea/Aran plucked it and used it to save Evan from poisoning was in a bottle. It only has 5 petals left and Dual took one. Swallowing it with difficulty before he gasped for breath. His wound was actually poisoned.

"Gah!" Dual coughed a bit. "Sorry about that." He took out a spare clothing consist of battered jean and a white jacket. He took off his mouth and breathe in the fresh air.

He surveyed the scenery in front of him. Rocky terrains were everywhere. Signs of drought was around him but the clouds were drifting by, and a village, the town of Perion was in his sight.

He finally took out his handphone and stared at it, waiting for the correct timing. The Balancers must unite.

XXX

**Ereve**

After the Alliance Meeting which was three days ago. Empress Cygnus and her Knights were greeted by a dread news.

Shinsoo has passed away. They rushed there, including Neinheart to be sure. When they arrived, the weather was grim and the monsters were howling with a tinge of sadness in their voice.

"No.." Cygnus cried, she rushed to Shinsoo's side but Shinsoo wasn't breathing. The rain started to fall heavily and Cygnus started crying. Her tears fell off from her cheek and onto the cold marble floor.

Mihile stopped in his tracks so does the others. They were stunned by the sight and they realized what has happen.

"They attack...but who?" Neinheart asked, shaking off his shock but his voice wavered.

"I don't know..." Mihile took a deep breath. "I don't know..."

Suddenly, a magic circle appeared a the middle of Cygnus. Alarmed, Mihile rushed in but it was too late, a barrier surrounded them and he pounded on it but it wouldn't budge. He desperately punched it but was in vain and left his hands throbbing.

"Empress!" Mihile shouted desperately. He put his ear at the barrier, he felt his stomach twisted to knots. "Are you there? Can you hear me?!"

Panic started to rise but inside the barrier, Cygnus felt a tremendous power, not knowing it was hers. Then, her hairstyle, clothes changed into a more regal ones. Energy filled the dead Shinsoo and suddenly, Cygnus could hear Shinsoo's heart thumping. At first a beat. Then, it got more frequent and the barrier surrounding them broke to pieces.

XXX

Mihile gave her a bear crushing hug without a shed of embarrassment. Then, he released her when he realized his making a scene and surprisingly, Empress Cygnus blushed and Oz and Irena started nudging each other, their corner of their mouth tugging into a smile while Neinheart looked a bit...mischievous. Then, he did a poker face and coughed. The sky became clear and Empress hugged Shinsoo. Mihile's cheeks turn pink.

"Are you okay?" Empress Cygnus asked gently, stroking Shinsoo's gem on it's forehead.

"Yes, my lady..." Shinsoo answered, her voice no longer rag but strong and clear. "Thanks to you...I'm alive again..."

"I'm glad." Cygnus replied, her voice raw with emotion and buried her head into Shinsoo's soft feathers and slept due to exhaustion. Cygnus's Knights smiled with relief.

"I wonder why it had to happen..." Neinheart trailed off.

"At least, Shinsoo's has been revive!" Irena pointed out. "Is it bad?"

"Good question. Let's leave them alone. Mihile!" Neinheart said. Mihile locked eyes with him and understood.

"Fine. I will stay here." Mihile answered softly, looking at the damage around them with a hint of sadness and dread.

XXX

Dual smiled. Then he kept his handphone without a word. He actually wanted to call Neinheart but hesitated, because he couldn't interfere with Shinsoo's fate and Cygnus's awakening. Jordan nodded at him before climbing down the cliff without a word of goodbye.

"See you again. Thanks for your help!" Dual called down, squinting at the tiny figure of Jordan who waved back when he was at the bottom. Jordan scoffed before running to Perion, the city of stones.

* * *

**A/N: Don't complain. I just got back to playing MapleStory after a few months...that was a huge update :D  
**


	17. Chapter 17 Forbidden Forest

**A/N: Hello again. Sorry for the short chapter from the previous one and the late update. I hope you enjoy this one. ...My documents...about the character list...have...been...DELETED! I had no idea why so I'm going to do it from the scratch. Sorry if I'm going to update late again for the next chapter...That was unexpected. **

* * *

Dual set up camp but they had no fire. He made sure that Lea is warm before he went to sleep in his sleeping bag.

**Dual's Dream**

_He dreamt of himself again. When the first time when he was forced to attend the very same school which most children of his age attended by Ryden who confided in him to find the information dealer._

_As he wore the school clothes, which made him look even weirder. He pulled his collar up and put his favourite red scarf around it as it was a bit chilly. Then, he walked towards it and heard muffled squeals from the girls and felt several glares coming from the boys. _

_But only one thing caught his attention._

_A single girl, sat under a big tree in the school compound, apparently reading a book. She sat cross-leg under the tree, wearing jeans and a cotton shirt. She has jet-black hair and tanned skin. Then, he saw another girl which looked disturbingly familiar to him. She wore a skirt and a T-shirt which is he assumed, a school shirt. She was talking to the girl who was reading the book, replying but her eyes were still on the book. Finally, she snapped her book shut and giggled before getting up and follow her friend.  
_

_But they halt in their tracks and saw him before waving hi. When the other girl turned, Dual smiled._

_It was just his friend, Sam...codename, S but he kept calling her Sam-san for formalities. _

_Then, Sam excused herself and her friend shrugged indicating she doesn't mind and waited for her as she watched her friend went towards him. Dual felt self-concious and talked to Sam as casual as possible and grinned when he cracked a joke. She giggled then realized that she had forgot about her friend who was starting to get a bit annoyed and introduced her new friend, Lea.  
_

_As she shook hands with him and give him a smile but her eyes that said: Why are you here? What is your purpose?_

_Dual did his best to stare her down but they became fast friends in matter of minutes. Unexpectedly, Lea doubled over then ran away without saying a word nor a glance back. Dual was confused and asked Sam if this is normal then realized that it was a stupid question._

_Sam's eyes told the truth that this was not normal. They started to follow her but she was gone. When they tracked her down, they saw a scene so horrible that Sam gasped while Dual was stunned. The trees were on fire and the ground was burn in certain parts._

_"What the-" Sam said but stopped when the trail ended here. No footsteps were shown and it was a surprise. But they haven't realize that Lea was watching them, with malice in her smile and eyes, her darker self. It wasn't her but the part of the power from The Black Mage inside her, corrupting her from the inside, slowly like poison from the incident 9 years ago (a year haven't pass yet in present time so that's why it is 9 years ago.).  
_

XXX

**Reality**_  
_

Lea woke up before Dual but she lay still, trying not to move so much. Her whole body ached, her head pounded and her injuries, cuts and bruises weren't full healed.

But yet, she felt sadness and felt like herself, no longer holding the a portion of dark mana from The Black Mage. Then, she thought back of the expedition 10 years ago. Then, she realized that the orb was actually part of _his _plan to awaken her darker self first.

She wondered how that marksman was doing. Her mind was preoccupied on what the marksman had done and Damien. Damien made a big impact for her. An innocent person who wanted to see his deceased mother and sister one more time were like puppets with string attached. In other words, deceived. As for the marksman, she tried to recall his name and surprisingly she remembered, Terry.

"Terry, huh?" she mused in low voice but even speaking those words has made her throat ache even worse. "Wonder if I will meet you again under better circumstances..."

She then heard Dual's groaning and moaning in his sleep. She was curious on what he is dreaming about but chided herself for invading people's privacy. She gripped the hilt of 'Tryfing' and 'Lisbeth' firmly but it provide her little comfort. The fire has died down and Lea blinked tears out from her eyes because she remembered the bitter times, memories. Then, she smiled. She knew if it weren't for those incidents she wouldn't be here right now, fighting the danger which has arrived.

Then, she sensed another dark mana released and sat bolt upright. She winced and this woke up Dual who is suddenly awake. He grabbed his dagger and glanced around but was confuse by the fact that Lea was awake and then shook his head, as if to get rid of his thoughts by shaking his head like a dog.

Lea winced painfully before lying back down again and this time, Dual did not look surprise but put his fingers to his lips to signal her that she should keep quiet and was keeping his breathing steady, exhaling slowly and breathing slowly as not to alert any intruders who were around them. His ear twitched and he stayed very still. He turned around as slowly and quietly as possible and had a shock of his life. A fox with nine tails, much like the Japanese folklore stared at his eyes, licking it's lips with anticipation but when it saw Lea. Dual could have sworn there was a twinkle in it's eyes.

He would have scream in panic if it weren't for Lea who unexpectedly use one of her specialty thanks to Talos, Time Magic under the branch of Lost Magic. He was frozen in time, he tried to move but it felt like he was carrying several bowling balls by his back. He can't even breathe but he was still alive. Lea retched and her spell on Dual was broken.

It was clearly too much for her, even in this condition, she was unable to maintain her specialties like Ice, Wind, Lighting, Time, Dark and Light. The other elements were not really her specialties as those five elements fit her personality.

As cold as ice. As fast as lighting. Unpredictable like time and wind. As mysterious as the darkness itself. But a hope itself for the people of Maple World.

Lea's right eye turned dark purple, almost like Phantom's but more sinister and was filled with malice. When Dual lowered his vision to magical sight, he saw that the dark purple sort of wisp was swirling around her. But it was doing nothing, just lending her it's power. But when Dual look closer to her right eye, he just found purple flames been ignited. He cringed and felt shiver down his spine.

It wasn't just the flames itself. It was the very essence of her dark mana. Malice, chaos, it feeds on her darkest fear and secret. When she locked eyes with him, he finally understood. She is like a coin itself, but not falling on either side. She closed her eyes and hit the ground and left Dual in his own thoughts.

XXX

Lea was on Dual's back, his backpack and her's with the straps were at his mouth. Well, he actually bit the straps of their bags which was a bit strange. He jumped down on the cliff and his body glowed. It was already dawn.

Before they hit the ground, he had morphed into a dragon with glittering black scales, red eyes. His hands slowly turned into sharp claws and his teeth became fangs. His bag and Lea's seemed to have melt with his form while Lea held on tight onto Dual's neck. He flew up to the sky, feeling the wind is under his control as he swirled once before heading to the direction of Ereve.

"Hey, Dual..." Lea called a bit sleepily.

"Yes?" his voice changed into a firmer and kinder tone when he is in this form.

"Do you think the other three will come?"

It was a fair question to Dual but he chuckled lightly.

"They already did. What I want to know who is and will be Order's and Chaos's host. Besides, we meet up with the three of them, the better it will be for both Balancers and the Maple World..."

"I hope so..." she trailed off, staring blankly at the clouds which seemed to beckon her to do a stupid thing. Like jumping onto it and falling to her death. Her eyes suddenly became heavy and she closed them. She fell from Dual's back and didn't realize she have pass out already. Dual was alarmed and saw Lea tumbling down from the sky, curling up like a baby. He immediately lunge but knew he wouldn't get her in time as Lea picked up speed like a falling meteor.

He reverted back into his human form and tucked his arms in, allowing him to have enough speed to catch up with Lea. He held Lea in his arms. He was blinking furiously now and knew he had only one chance or else he and Lea would be a pancake forever with this kind of speed.

He roared and changed into a dragon again just in time. He settled Lea down and reverted to his original form again. He heaved a sigh of relief before picking up the two bags which he drop and realized that they were just at Henesys, one of the deep forest of Henesys which even the students were forbid to go unless they were accompanied by a supervisor who knew the area like the back of his/her hand.

"Ahh..." Dual said. Then he glanced at Lea and knew she wouldn't be going anywhere. "Stay here, okay?" He winced when he realized how stupid he sound but it wasn't like she was going anywhere.

XXX

"Master...I don't blame you for being angry but can you please..." Mir said as they were walking around Henesys. Reporters were no longer chasing them as Evan had given them a slip...twice.

"It's okay, Mir." Evan said gently, patting her forehead. "I'm fine. I'm just worried over my mind over you. After all, you are my best friend."

Mir growled contently with love. "Thank you. Although we have been with each other for two years..."

"We learn a lot Mir..."

"Yes...We may be the last Dragon Master."

Evan nodded sadly. "Who knows. I have a feeling that something big will happen. And it can be bad or good for us. Last I check, The Black Mage broke of his seal-"

"And currently have Lea as his prisoner-"

Mir's mark glowed unexpectedly. Then, Evan knew it wasn't him and Lea or the girl Aran was near.

"Shall we?" Mir asked innocently. Evan grinned mischievously before hopping onto Mir's back with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Why not?" With those words, Mir flew up and Evan screaming in joy with his heart following Mir's beat of her wings. Even in public, he doesn't care anymore. He swore to himself that he will protect the innocents from _his_ grasp like what his ancestor did 300 years ago.

"I will not fail this time." Evan hissed. Mir growled with agreement as they soared over Henesys. "Giddyup!"

With one last roar, Mir put on a burst of speed and they were finally on top of tall trees as huge as the skyscrapers themselves and they did a spin before descending.

"Magic Missile!" Evan ordered and Mir opened her mouth and shot two magical kind of missiles which only Onyx Dragon could make to create an opening. But it was useless as the forest were too thick.

Evan gritted his teeth, bracing himself for the pain he was going to feel.

"Dive!" Evan shouted and Mir obeyed, they broke many branches thanks to Mir's weight. Evan closed his eyes and felt a hard hit all around his face while Mir continued to dive and finally land on the ground. When Mir looked at him, she laughed because her master looked like he had lost a fight with a Chirstmas tree.

"What?" Evan demanded.

Mir did not say anything. They continue their way, following Mir's instinct as her mark glowed faintly.

XXX

Lea woke up feeling her head heavy. She blinked a few times then look around a bit dreamily

"Where are we?" she asked Dual after a few minutes, trying to remember where she is.

"Remember the warning that the seniors and teachers including you who told me about never enter the 'Forbidden Forest'?" Dual answered a bit sarcastically. Lea nodded at him.

He dropped the bomb. "We are in it." Lea jumped up in alarm.

"What?" Lea exclaimed a bit hysterically. "You-must-be-kidding."

But she knew better when she saw his expression was dead serious. She grumbled about being an idiot and how dangerous it will be and how her mum is gonna kill her. Dual tilted his head and offered his hand. She took it but lean against him and Dual blushed lightly. He wasn't used to girls leaning against him. But sometimes he just couldn't be bothered with this.

"Lea...I have something to tell you." he began unexpectedly.

"Let me guess...you have feelings for me." Lea said bluntly.

_'Dead-on!' Dual thought. _

"Yeah...but I don't think it will work out, do you?"

"Nope. Trust me. I'm not the one who is going to be on your side the whole time. Besides, you're think of me as a sister."

"True." he said with a nod. "Maybe it's just my ego."

_Leviathan snorted. 'You are just the same as your ancestor dear boy.'_

_'Why I didn't notice this before...' Leviathan mused but with a hint of sadness. 'Your choice of weapon weren't the same but your attitude, slang even...are the same. Even your features were the same...or maybe 85% of it. Not 100%'_

Dual smiled sadly. "Maybe...I've been influenced by good people?"

"Oh, shut up!" Lea retorted. "It's not like that. It's your choices that effect you. Events. You name it, Dual Nightwalker!"

Dual was stunned. "How did you know my last name?"

Lea huffed.

"Isn't it obvious? So far, all I know, we're related to our soul or whatever descendant. Blood and flesh. That's you Dual. Me, soul descendant. Aran is the same as me. Others I had no idea. The dragons in us aren't telling us anything...yet, Dual."

"But Talos did tell me one thing. Their previous host 300 years ago were normal humans. They hosted the dragons because they wanted to. It almost killed them but in the end they passed away. Thanks to the war and their family became targets eventually and..." She took a deep breath. "They were forced into hiding..."

"What do you mean by that?" Dual demanded, branches cracked under their feet. He had slung his and Lea's bag onto his shoulder earlier. "How do they die?"

"When The Black Mage invaded Time Temple. That's why Time Temple is a sacred place. Both to ordinary citizens and us."

"They released the dragons. But they were unable to flee. The remaining commanders target their family, under _his _orders. He was afraid that this branch of family will live and they did. I do not come from their linage. Neither do the others. And that, I can assure you."

"How do you know?"

"You can sense it don't you?"

Dual knew she had a point but it still doesn't explain why and how and what kind of blood line the others come from. Or maybe a soul descendant.

_'Any ideas?' Dual asked Leviathan. _But Leviathan was silent. "So..we are lost."

"Obviously, Mr. Obvious." Lea said a bit cheekily and winced.

Dual sighed. He was going to have a hard time.

XXX

"Tch." Evan said. "Dead end."

"Never mind, master. We are near. Just rightttttttttttttttttt-"

"There!" Evan finished for her as he pointed at the familiar face suddenly popped out from one of the trees. He grinned and wave in greeting but was alarm on how bad Lea look with scratches on her clothes and a small scar on her cheek but was even more alarmed when Dual's clothes were in an even worse condition than Lea's as he never had a chance to change.

"You okay?" Dual asked unnecessary. He smiled mischievously. "How's the ride?"

"Oh," Evan began sarcastically. "Fun. It's fun to get push into a portal by a certain Bishop name Jake and landed on my bum at the rooftop of my house and search through the forest looking for my partner, Mir and hiding whenever the paparazzi comes and teleport out of their reach and fly up in the sky and finally find you two and make me shock and by the way-" He pinched his nose. "You stink."

"Glad you notice. Now why don't you get us out of here?!" Lea retorted rudely.

Evan looked apologetically to them. "But I don't know how to get out of here." he whined.

Lea and Dual look at each other. "We're soooo lost." they said simultaneously and a questioning look on their face.

"Look at the bright side." Evan encouraged them. "At least we managed to meet up."

"Meet up." Lea said sulkily. "Great. So do we have to stay here or what? Because I think it's already um..."

_'What time is it?' Lea asked Talos._

_'5 p.m. 30 seconds. plus one...two...three...and voila!' Talos answered. He roared and Lea felt a headache coming._

_'Okay. Okay. I got it.'_

"5 o'clock in the evening? Wait...that's odd..." Lea glanced at Dual. "It was dawn earlier right?"

Dual nodded in agreement.

"Evan. What time was it when you entered here?"

"Around 3? Yup. It's 3."

Lea inhaled sharply.

"Oh fuck!"

"What?" the duo demanded but Lea looked at them fearfully.

"_Just_." she hissed softly and menacingly. "Don't go separately."

"Why?" they asked. Lea's expression darkened and they got the message: _Don't ask. _Dual and Evan had a bad feeling about this.

"All of us have to stick together. No matter what. Do. Not. Get. Separated. Dual what's the other name of the 'Forbidden Forest'?" Lea continued as if nothing happen, she still had her injuries but she was already starting to recover quickly. "I already had forgot about it or you just didn't know."

"Didn't know." Dual answered seriously. He had a feeling they were being watch and saw his friends based on their body language, too knew they were being watch.

Evan suddenly snapped his fingers. "I think I know since I heard the students talk about it before...I met Mir. And it's-" He gulped. "The Forest Of Time."

Lea started cussing rapidly despite her disapproval against using vulgar words like Aran but she was in too much panic. Because once trap in time. It's almost impossible to escape.

"I don't know. Don't ask. And-" She felt a sharp pain at the back of her neck and she reached it and plucked it out. On a closer look, she realized it was a needle and she started to see double. She stumbled once and before she collapsed she cried out weakly, "Run-" but it was too late as she saw a blur of yellow golden as it snatched her away with it's teeth by her shirt. The shouting of her friends were dull to her ears and suddenly sleep became a good idea to her although she just woke up from one 2 hours ago.

Lea fought to stay awake but she judged by the speed they were going, she suspected that her friends weren't going to make it if she doesn't do anything.

"Don't resist, my sweet little child." the fox crooned, it's voice soft and silky. "You're safe now."

_'No...I'm not.' Lea thought weakly. 'Talos...hel-' _

"Oh no you don't!" the fox snarled. "Kar-"

But Lea was faster as she shouted, "Lucendi!"

A lighting stuck the fox and it yelled in pain only Lea was unharmed as she was the summoner. She grabbed for her sword then realized it was still with Dual and did some creative cursing. She had to buy time in order for her friends to come then realized something else. The forest was silent. No wind, no animals around. Then, she glanced around carefully not letting the fox know that she was still confused.

"Confuse? My dear child. I hope that you would recognize me but I was mistaken. Make no mistake, child of twilight. We will meet again. After all...hehehehehe...I am the one who you seek." the fox replied in a way that reminds Lea of her mother, Luna. It faded into the darkness and Lea was alone. She did what was logical for a person who is exhausted, injured and hungry, she passed out.


	18. Chapter 18 Magic Canceller Part 1

**Phantom's Airship, Lumiere**

"How was your day?" Phantom asked the girl Aran innocently. She glared at him with an intent to murder and Phantom edge away.

"Um...I will go with the others." Phantom announced meekly like a child before slipping away. Aran sighed. Because she had a weird start already.

First is a prank from Orchid. Who actually swap Aran's pillow with Mercedes's and hid under Aran's bed and scared Aran at the next day which caused an uproar from Aran as she and Mercedes was humiliated twice in front of their friends. Another was Phantom, who accidentally (actually purposely as Aran suspected) tied her up at the training room when she was taking a nap. Last but not least, she accidentally open a wrong door and found Phantom playing with a lighter and burning something in his hand. Well, actually it was a ping pong ball and Aran slammed the door shut.

All this ran through her mind as she recall the weird start. She sighed and decided to let down her hair and walked towards the bathroom to have a quick shower after training which was recently. Before she enter, she tensed and grinned.

"Wolfie." she called. "I know you're in there so...why don't you come out and tell me what you saw." Wolfie came out from the bathroom, her fur soaked as she entered after Mercedes had taken her bathe. She shook her whole body at the bathoom before coming out from the bathroom with a taping sound until she reached the carpet and leaving her dirty paw stain much to Aran's amusement.

"Later, mistress. I hope you have some bacon for me!" Wolfie answered a bit too cheerily. Aran shook her head before going into the bathroom and scowled at Wolfie's fur which was all over the floor and shut the door and turning the click. She purposely choose a private bathroom which normally all maids use. She filled the bathtub with water before stripping herself naked and entered the warm water.

She examined her right shoulder and felt something she wasn't expecting. A scar. She was very alarmed now.

_'How can it escape my notice? It's been so long...already...' she thought. 'Unless...nah...that's impossible.'_

She traced it but it was a bit too small for her to know what shape her scar is. She then, willed her worries into the water and tried to relax but was too nervous to do so plus she had problems with her visions for the last few days as it was blur and just a glimpse of image. She was itching to draw but she dare not as it may trigger something bad in her counterpart's memory.

After half an hour, she wiped herself dry with a towel which she brought and wore another pair of jeans and clean T-shirt which Wolfie had brought in earlier as it was put aside on a small stool. She looked herself at the mirror. It showed her a worried expression and she had her hair tied into a bun with the very same towel as she doesn't like to use hair-dryer like Lea. She scooped up her dirty clothes and left it by the side so that the maids could collect.

As she pulled the door open, she was greeted by Ven who was sitting patiently in front and she smiled before patting his forehead.

"What is it?" she asked.

"We need to talk. That's what your counterpart said to me. Can you follow me?" Ven said before turning his back onto Aran and walk straight before turning to another corridor which surprised her. Because it wasn't there before. She hesitated before following Ven. In the end, Ven took her into the living room where they have gathered and only waiting for her.

She slid into a sofa as casually as possible and wondered why all of them were here although it's lunch. But most importantly, she wanted to know why her counterpart called her here. She expected privacy but she saw Phantom, Mercedes, Luminous and even Orchid there.

"What is it?" she asked in a bored tone, masking her face.

"There's something I don't understand." her counterpart began and she stared at him.

"What?"

"How the hell did you get here so fast." The girl Aran did a face-palm. She was very tempted to strangle him already.

"Serious, please!" she said with her soft and dangerous tone that the boys in the room were suddenly very scared of her.

"Are you a magic canceller?" Orchid asked unexpectedly. Aran considered her question and tilted her head.

"Now that I think about it...I don't know." she replied a bit slowly.

"Because you are. Back when you battle with...Arkarium...no. Not that. When you battle with Phantom, I noticed that you recovered from one of his spells rather quickly." Mercedes answered. "That makes a lot of sense. Why sometimes Luminous's attack won't work on you as if...they were negated."

"Really?" Aran asked curiously. "I never thought about it. Oh, by the way, don't suspect Lea for being a magic canceller. She's not."

"How do you know that?" her counterpart demanded. She gave him a 'I-don't-give-a-damn-about-the-explaination' look._  
_

"Please." her counterpart amended.

"Seriously?" she asked. "You should have known by now. She wouldn't be able to use her dark mana so easily. That's why. Jake said. She will be lucky if there is a magic canceller nearby. Jake can negate it because he's one of the most powerful bishop. Excluding you, Luminous. Not after you've been tainted by him."

Luminous nodded. Putting his hands together. "True."

Phantom shook his head disapprovingly. He was worried about Luminous's condition because the dark mana inside him is still growing stronger.

"If you're done. Where's my journal?" She aimed the question at Phantom who suddenly straighten up. "If possible, can you pass me a preferable sharp pencil an a few pieces of A4 paper?"

Phantom shook his head. "Can you wait? I need to rest you know."

"Then, I can just punch you to the wall there again couldn't I?" she answered casually with a mischievous glint in her eyes as she cracked her knuckles. Phantom widen his eyes with fear.

"You wouldn't." he said in a cold tone that felt as cold as El Nath itself.

"I will." she said with a smile. "Besides...never mind."

XXX

Mercedes and Orchid were having a tense conversation as Mercedes hasn't fully trust Orchid yet as she haven't forgotten what Orchid did last time. At the same time, Luminous and the girl Aran were sitting together, reading a novel called '_Les Misérables_'. Both of them were reading together while Phantom flipped through Freud's old notes and grumbled about how Freud can understand. He had new notes from Dual the last time Dual visited him. Wolfie and Ven were busy playing tag with each other while the boy Aran and Baru were playing chess with each other, both thinking ways to 'checkmate' the king.

They had lunch already and it was their break time. The duo Aran knew personally if they kept working without rest, they were not going to concentrate on their work although they are taking it seriously. The girl Aran jumped in surprise when Wolfie nudge her gently by the hem of her jeans. Aran stood up, looking puzzle and followed Wolfie to the deck. She saw a familiar bird perching at the railing and grinned happily.

It was Kau. Aran heard footsteps and smelled him before he even arrived. She turned around in triumph and was face to face with Luminous, still in his training clothes, a white singlet and a trackbottom with his hands in the pockets.

"I knew you would come." Aran said a bit teasingly. Wiping off a cream out of the corner of his mouth with her finger and licked it. "Where did you get that?"

"Easy. I stole it from Phantom's ah...personal refrigerator." Luminous replied a bit cheerily and mischievously.

She raised her eyebrows. "This is the first-"

"And the for the last time, you clumsy mage..." a familiar voice interrupted. "You're so screwed."

"Oh?" Lumnous turned around his eyes daring a challenge at Phantom. "Try it. Besides, it's so easy-"

"But your soles of the shoes showed at my nice carpet.-" Phantom was warming up.

"Your traps are useless against me-"

"Really? I doubt that. I still have the evidence that you were caught on-"

"I still manage to get out-" Luminous countered now face to face with Phantom who jumped down from the roof and was glaring at Luminous.

"Your damn fingerprints were on the handle bi-"

And they kept interrupting with each other with a come-back statement and argued.

Aran watched them with amusement and giggled a bit when Phantom mimic Luminous's action easily like falling down and pointed at the feet. Aran suspected that they are slowly becoming friends, more than last time as Phantom was still angry and yet sad by the fact Aria had passed away. No, murdered by Lotus himself. Kau took flight and landed on Aran's shoulder and began telepathy with her about the good news and the trouble brewing. Aran was alarmed that there was more dark mana release and pondered on this information.

She wished that there was someone she can turned to as she knew that the puzzles is in their hands but couldn't piece it together.

She started pacing around with agitated by the disturbing info. Kau took flight and this time, flying towards somewhere even Aran wasn't even sure. But Aran was absolutely positive that Kau would keep herself out of trouble and informed them.

XXX

"Excuse me?" Mercedes said incredulously to Orchid. "Are you sure?"

"Dead positive. We just don't know how to piece the puzzles together. And there's something wrong…for the past few days, the dark mana outbreak is getting worse. And what's more surprising to me is…why the monsters haven't gotten stronger yet."

"Because it is not possible." Baru unexpectedly answered who was suddenly sitting between them and the duo girls scampered backwards with surprise.

"Ba-" Mercedes began as she lunge at Baru and punched him in the face so hard that he flew backwards to the wall.

"It would take years just to adapt to the new society, you see." Baru continued in a squeaky voice because he is pinching his bleeding nose. "You said that last time the monsters were stronger right? We noticed it too. Even the monsters migrate. The funny thing is…nobody even care."

"Except for a few scientist." Orchid muttered under her breath and surprisingly Baru nodded.

"Even I don't give a damn but I still get frustrated with the damn Slimes right now. They used to play lots of pranks."

"Like?" the boy Aran asked curiously.

"Oh, let's see…" Baru started to count with his fingers. "Number one, they make my clothes, from super duper clean to so filthy that even I had to spend one _whole_ day to wash the filth off. Number two…they cause troubles and others?" He scoffed. "Private."

Translation: _I had no idea what's going on that time._

The girls stifled their laughter as they understood. Only Aran was clueless as he had no idea what Baru was trying to say.

XXX

The girl Aran has slip inside without the two boys knowing who are still arguing about the damn food stealing. She strode gracefully with one destination in her mind because that's where she will understand more.

As she strode towards her destination. She thought about Luminous and sniggered. She remembered when she was oblivious to his feelings. Even with that one incident which she thought Luminous was sick.

**Flashback**

_"Are you okay?" the girl Aran, now 13 years old looking at Luminous who face was suddenly turn red. She was too close to him and she didn't know that. Then, Luminous realized that he must have passed out under the hot weather since he wasn't used to it. _

_"Where am I?" he asked and Aran put her fingers to his lips._

_She put a damp cloth on his forehead and force him down with a look of pity._

_"Do you really have a fever? Because you don't look like it. Let me check your temperature." She put her forehead against his and Luminous blushed even more deeply._

_"What," a familiar voice reached their ears. "Are you doing?"_

_"Nothing." Luminous answered, with a disapproving Freud giving him a look of accusation._

_"Oh? Really?" Freud had a slang from who-knows-where it came from. "Ahh, never mind. You suddenly fainted in the heat. And boy, I would be happy to trade this sort of clothes into a more sensible one."_

_"And what does that mean?" Aran asked without any emotion. "And why do I have to participate in this ridiculous party?"_

_"Because you know the rules by heart." Freud pointed out. Aran's hand itched to strangle Freud of his logical thinking. As much as Aran hate the idea, she had no choice because Freud needed a book from the royal family which she detest so much as they always asked for her hand in marriage._

_"I hate Ariant." she grumbled. Freud nodded in agreement as Ariant is famous for slavery and corruption in a scale that even Freud couldn't believe._

_She took the cloth again and dumped it into a bucket of water nearby. She was trembling because today is her birthday._

_My birthday, Aran thought. Today. I just hope nothing goes wrong…why does bad things have to fall on my birthday….do I have a rotten luck or what? God…if you're out there please make sure that it goes well…_

_"Wait. I will go with her." Luminous volunteered. Freud immediately shook his head._

_"N.O. Full stop." Freud answered coolly. "Especially not in this condition."_

_Luminous gritted his teeth. "I insist." He started getting out of the…makeshift bed._

_"Hell no!" Aran immediately zeroed onto Luminous, with her cheeks a bit pink. She continued, "If you want then just follow Freud. And you better not get into trouble with Mercedes. AGAIN!"_

_Luminous cringed. "Okay. Okay. No need to be my big-"_

_Aran threw the damp cloth at his forehead and Luminous stuttered. Freud was amused and grinned at Aran._

_"Good one. Besides, the party don't start until you walk in."_

_Aran winced. Freud gave her a look of pity. _

_"You better start shopping for a dress and watch out for thieves and bandits. Ariant isn't well known for its low-crime rate."_

_When Freud left, Aran heaved a sigh. _

_She glanced at Luminous and said, "As much as I like to take care of you…we have a party to crash tonight. Sorry." She turned away before Luminous could see her tears. She wiped them off and ran out, leaving Luminous oblivious of her dilemma. _

XXX

Aran shook the memory out of her head and pushed a door open which lead to a piano room.

'_Looking for something?_' a familiar voice hissed in her ears.

_'I really appreciate your help Erika…but…can you explain what you're trying to tell me?' Aran asked._

_'To tell you the truth, you must be smart enough to piece the puzzles together. Remember the drawings you had done?'_

Aran nodded at no particular reason with some grumbling as she sat on the bench, her hands on the keyboard but hesitated to play.

_'You and Lea must show each other drawings that. It is the key of what you're facing against and that's no lie. The visions you had since you obtained your 'spirit link' and the ones you drew. You must show it. Your friend…what's his name? Phantom had looked into it, but not that specific drawing.'_

_'Is my counterpart included in this?'_

_'Yes.' Erika answered without hesitation. 'It's important to him too, he must find the missing-'_

_'What's missing?'_

_Erika sighed in Aran's mind._

_'I was getting to that part.'_

Aran covered her mouth.

_'Sorry.'_

_'I…don't…have-'_

_'Erika?'_

_'Hu…ry…yo...ur…hope…' _

And the connection was cut off. Aran banged the keyboard out of frustration. She was so close. Yet so far.

"Damn." Aran whimpered a bit then unexpectedly she began to cry. The feelings of sadness which she bottled up inside her, she finally let it out. She could still remember how lonely she was when she was still a disciple of the Commanders of The Black Mage.

With only the monsters for company. She remembered how terrible it was to train with Lotus. Forced to be a trainee assassin. She was the one who was supposed to assassinate one of the royal families in Ariant. Fortunately, the target had fled, heading her advice but when she was back, she saw the broken body of the very same target hung on the walls.

She could still hear Lotus's footstep, and his hands on her neck, tracing her necklace and staring at her hungrily.

She didn't realize that Mercedes was watching her, with a little hole by the side.

Mercedes watched and watched, she never seen this side of Aran before and it was unexpected. She knew that she was always calm and yet patient. Even when she flew into a temper, she was the one who helped them the most in crucial moments.

"Aran…are you okay?" she whispered softly. Aran heard it then slowly turned around and found out that she hadn't fully close the door and wiped her tears with the back of her hand.

She put on the brave smile. "Come in…" her voice shook. Mercedes pushed the door lightly and put her back against it to shut it.

Mercedes can still remember the very different girl from the girl she saw in her eyes. When they first met, Mercedes thought that Aran was insignificant and arrogant like the rest of her race.

But she changed her mind soon enough when she saw Aran sitting alone, staring sadly at the fire or an empty space, like she was a hopeless person. But unlike Freud, she doesn't have her nose on a book but sometimes, before Orchid stole her necklace, she would stare at the pictures and smiled a bit happily, as if remembering those good times.

The bangle, which shattered one day when she and Luminous were fighting with each other and Aran snapped. Just as they thought that she would die if they received her attacks head on, it suddenly disappeared, along with her magic arrows, blessed by the elves themselves.

The broken pieces of her bangle were scattered by the wind, and Aran was there with her weapon, the butt onto Luminous and slammed Mercedes to the ground with that dangerous expression on her face.

Mercedes could still remember her words, _"If you can't stop fighting with each other, how can you save the lives in this world?" _Those words made her think twice about fighting with Luminous.

At that time, she realized that Aran was breathing heavily and saw her eyes fluttered a bit, before she hit the ground Luminous was there, looking concern. She was coughing badly like the sudden release was so bad for her then she noticed that her hands had a kind of symbol glowing red all of the sudden. She was freaked out by the experience but got used to it after several days.

But what surprise her the most that is her maturity and her senses that rivaled even with the King of Onyx Dragon, Afrien. Sight, smell and hearing which made her one of the best trackers in their party.

Mercedes sat next to Aran at the piano bench and hugged her which what Aran really need.

Mercedes patted Aran's back gently and let herself be the shoulder to cry on.

_'Thank you…' Aran thought gratefully, letting her tears flow. _She may have seen the horrors that even adults haven't seen, but she wasn't going down without a fight. But this time, she won't carry the burden alone. She had made an oath to her comrades, friends and her parents that she won't stop fighting for the good as long as she lives.


	19. Chapter 19 Magic Canceller Part 2

"And…" the girl Aran and Mercedes just entered the training room, stunned by the sight of the boys who were challenging each other in extreme ways especially Luminous and Phantom who were still arguing about the _stolen_ food. The girl Aran pointed accusingly at Orchid, "What are you doing?"

Orchid looked up with a stopwatch in her hand and on her lap there was a file with a paper attach to it. When the girl Aran squinted to it and made out the words, "Endurance test…One point for L and Zero point(s) for P?" She shook her head in amazement, "What are you thinking?"

Mercedes did a face-palm.

"Well…" Orchid chuckled. "Phantom and Luminous decided to solve their argument in _this _way…"

"Luminous is so gonna lose." Mercedes said with confidence while Orchid and the girl Aran looked amuse.

"I doubt that." Orchid and the girl Aran replied back simultaneously, both had a glint in their eyes which made Mercedes uneasy.

'_Should I? Or shouldn't I?' the girl Aran thought. _Before she could think any further, Orchid passed her a piece of paper and a pencil.

"Isn't that what you requested?" Orchid said, with her eyebrows raised. The girl Aran felt so stupid and immediately draw. First was a sketch then she tried to recall the dream but the details were slipping away from her.

She started cussing under her breath as she remembered seeing something but was blinded. Then, she remembered Mercedes's advice which she almost forgot.

'_Just calm down, it will come back eventually…that I won't lie.' Mercedes's voice echoed in her head._

She started to take a deep breath and exhale slowly as she closed her eyes. When she opened them, she could see the image as clear as the glass itself. She drew with renewed determination. When she was done, she blew at it to get rid of the black dust from the pencils and grinned.

She immediately hid it from Mercedes and passed it to Orchid who looked at it and it took a moment or two to process the whole drawing. She crumpled it and tossed it towards the duo who is still arguing. It landed on Luminous's head then to the floor before rolling away from them.

Luminous looked politely puzzle, breaking off from his statement for a moment. He picked it up as he ducked to avoid Phantom's punch and Aran cringed all of the sudden and felt something inside her stirred.

For a moment, her eyes turned golden/yellow then back to normal. She hid her eyes when it happened before dashing off to the bathroom to check the mirror.

"It's has been happening so frequently. What's wrong with me?" Aran asked herself. She washed her face again before wiping it dry with a clean towel outside and walked back to the training room.

"Morning!" a familiar voice called her and she found her counterpart at the door, looking mischievously at her. "Have you had any strange appearance lately? Especially your eyes?"

She sighed. "I knew you would find out."

"Of course. It's just that since we're going to be an adult soon….I just wondered where were you. When I checked out the training room, you just weren't there."

"Bathroom." she answered a bit too politely and pointed at the wet strands of her hair. "See?"

She shrugged before walking past by him with a sly look on her face. The dragon instinct that she had long time ago was getting stronger and she even recognized at least a few words of the ancient dragon language without the 'Dragonstone'.

XXX

She was lying on top of one of the guest bed in Lumiere. Her room which she fondly calls it. It is still afternoon but going to be evening soon.

"Agh!" she moaned as she felt the pain return. "Why is going on with me?"

XXX

Luminous and Phantom were taking a break (finally). Mercedes wondered what was the drawing about and asked Orchid about it but Orchid just paled and managed a light laugh but it sounded force before looking sad again.

Luminous tossed it to Mercedes to answer her question, looking grim.

Mercedes finally understood why Orchid looked grim. Because the drawing showed that both Lea and Luminous, in the mirror showing a dark shadow behind them, threatening to consume them.

"It will happen if you're not careful. Even Lea is affected for a long time and I wouldn't be surprise if her darker side takes over and cause destruction in a scale even _higher _scale than The Black Mage. That's not all…." a familiar voice said, coming from the training room doorway. The boy Aran stood there, his back at the doorway. "Got it, child of light and darkness?"

Luminous gritted his teeth. "There's no way. I will die first before the battle!"

'_Oh, you will see…but I'm unable to take over you. For now.' _

'_Shut up!' Luminous shouted angrily at his darker self._

"There's a cure for it…right?" Luminous said with a quavering voice. He felt his eyes pricking.

"I don't know." the boy Aran answered and hung his head down. "I don't know. It's better if you wait for a while…hopefully a certain somebody can cure you."

"Besides," Aran continued. "Only time will tell…and…it's about time that my counterpart have to tell you guys something important. She had a glimpse…never mind. It's her decision to tell. After all, she's one of the disciples…" He shook his head, letting out a chuckle with a bit of humour.

"What is her last name?" Orchid unexpectedly asked. "You know don't you?"

"Why?" Aran asked her with a poker face on. "I give you a clue. It's starts with an 'S' and pronounces like a cluster of stars."

"Then, what's yours?" Phantom asked with his eyebrows raise as his curiosity deepened.

"I forgot~" he answered with glee. "I haven't really recover all my memories yet. Neither does she." He then walked away, trying to avoid a question that had been bugging him.

'_What happen to you 300 years ago?' Aran thought with dread. 'Even I do not know, what happen to me. All I remember was being cursed, eventhough I support you at the shadows. Freud allowed me to be part of the Heroes. For so many hours….I still do not know why I am cursed alongside you…'_

XXX

The girl Aran had fallen asleep without herself realizing it. She gripped the bed sheet tightly that it was almost torn. She gasped in her sleep, as if she was drowning in the dark waters but she was not as she was drowned in a world of darkness. She heard a girl's giggle.

'_Is this the one?' the girl voice, a bit too innocent and sweet. 'It will be fun tearing you apart~'_

'_Aran *******' Aran couldn't hear the last word as the dream was already fading._

'_WAIT!' Aran shouted but the dream shifted. She dreamed of herself, when she was 8 years old. Looking at Aria with a smile on her face and her hair tied back in a ponytail. She was on the ground, wearing a dress, not too much but simple and she looked beautiful._

_The present Aran caught her breath. "Is that me?" But no one answered her. She sat on a chair, looking lonely until a familiar person came. _

'_Empress Aria…' her younger self spoke. She slid off her chair and ran towards Aria, hugging her with a big smile on her face. The present Aran stared at the scene with a smile on her face. She watched as her past self and Aria walked, chatting happily and giggled once in a while. Then, she looked at her surroundings and found herself at Ereve. There were many guards and there were two of them, their armour clanking as they walked at the distance behind the duo._

_As the present Aran walked towards them, she caught their conversation._

"_What? You really got it for me?" her younger self exclaimed, full of excitement. Aria nodded. She took out a small box which she held in her hands, somehow escaping the present Aran's notice. Her younger self took it gingerly and unwrapped it and found a necklace, like a locket except its shape was like raindrop unlike any other necklace._

"_It's beautiful…" the present and the past Aran said in unison. Then, Aria helped her to put it around her neck._

"_You can put pictures in this locket you know…like this.' Aria said as she opened it with ease. "Just a secret. Okay?" Her past self grinned._

"_Thank you…" _

"_Let's go check our time capsule!" Aria suggested. The past Aran's beaming face nodded in agreement before they hurry to who-knows-where. With a smile on their face that even the guards watch them felt warm and happy inside that they forgot their worries for a moment._

XXX

**Aran's Room**

She woke up, gasping and her eyes wide. She reached for a glass of water which is usually kept at the bedside stand and drank it greedily one cup after another. She wiped her mouth and count to ten before releasing her breath.

She wanted to check the clock but unfortunately she had thrown her watch away (which is broken since it's not design for underwater) and she doesn't own a handphone to check the time either. She pulled herself out of the bed and head back to the living room, looking a bit pale.

"Ugh." she moaned, her head pounding painfully. She felt a sharp pain at her right shoulder and whimpered. She clutched her right shoulder.

"My head…" she complained. The pain was unbearable for her.

She stumbled once and when she finally reached the door to the living room. She hardly had any strength to push it much less open it and collapsed in front of it.

XXX

She heard voices but it sounded distant. She tried to open her eyes but she felt weak. Weaker than she ever felt before. She tried to hear but her brain seems to slow down.

'_You're awake…' a male voice unfamiliar to her was talking to her. 'Come. It is not your time yet. Aran *******…'_

Aran tried to speak but her body refused to respond. But she obeyed the voice. She felt a familiar sensation.

'_My name is…' The voice chuckled. 'Luxio… Right now, you're in my mind once again. It's seems a very very long time since you've first entered my mind. But even now you still can't see me. After all, my physical form is rotten to it's core.' The voice managed another chuckle but this time tinge with sadness._

Again, Aran tried to answer but could not.

'_? Oh, I see…hm…I see you have so much potential in being a light mage. A pity. Then again, it's my fault for succumbing into the darkness.' The voice sighed. 'I do wish to be in the light again. Not kept in the darkness. And only you can do that. You have the spirit of a true warrior like many people does. But yours is unique as you are from the Clan of Stars. Besides, it's about time. I've been waiting for so long…I'm suppose to die long time ago…perhaps…this time, I will finally be free…and the next one will come…'_

This time, he had her full attention.

'_I think it is better if you go back now. Any longer and you will worry your friends. Goodbye…until we meet again. St*****.'_

"Wait a damn-" Aran began suddenly sitting up and accidentally banging her forehead against someone's. "MINUTE MR!"

"OW! OW!" a familiar voice whined. "That hurt!"

Aran covered her mouth. "Oops…" she apologized when she saw Phantom holding his head which was red.

"It was so weird that you weren't in the training room for so long. I decided to check your room but you weren't there. Tsk. Tsk."

"Where am I anyway?" Aran asked. Giving Phantom a confused look, she tried to stand up but fell back down.

"Ah." she groaned then clutched her right shoulder. Whimpering in pain. She looked at Phantom with golden eyes which Phantom cringed as it was unusual since he was so used to see sky blue eyes. Phantom offered his hand and Aran took it. Pulling her up, he chuckled to himself as he now sees a lady, not a child in front of him. He used to see her as a hindrance but she proved him wrong within an instant as she stole his food without even him seeing and attack Luminous who was edging towards a fight against him.

When the second time they met with each other, she was looking at the beautiful blue sky with the same shade of her eyes but she looked sad. But when Luminous was around, she managed a faint smile with his ridiculous antic to cheer her up.

Then, Phantom realized that Luminous had met Aran before and became friends. That time, when he met the boy Aran, he was shocked to his core. Because the girl and the boy Aran can look and act like siblings when they aren't one.

Even Phantom had his eyebrows raised when Luminous blushed a bit when he's around the girl Aran.

"_Awww, come on." Luminous once pleaded to the girl Aran to help him in to understand more of light magic and dark magic. Aran just blew a raspberry at him then saying, "No."_

He chuckled at the memory. "I won't ask you about your golden eyes." Aran looked like cow dung has been poured over her. "But I think you better explain to all of us. Your counterpart dropped some hints about your last name and…something else."

She fumed before storming off but winced a bit. Cussing creatively, she stormed off to the training room, willing to kick a certain idiot.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the late update. I was studying for my mid-terms exam and writing another story which I planned to publish online after maybe August. Sorry for the short chapter too.**


	20. Chapter 20 Magic Canceller Part 3

As Aran half-walk and stumbled to the training room, she felt extremely nauseous and wanted to lie down on a bed but unfortunately, she's nowhere near one.

The pain at her shoulder subsided but her head hasn't. She was cursing under her breath, wondering what did she do to deserve this kind of pain. She decided to rest for a while as she slid to the floor with the back on the wall. She took a few deep breaths before she felt her senses tingled a bit.

After a few minutes, she felt better and started to hear voices. She glanced around and the spirits were here again, in a form of a ball of golden light. She sighed.

"What is it?" she asked them. They moved around, circulating around her and started to form a language which she had never seen before but yet, she understood. The language triggered her memory when she was young. Her father taught her the language of she read them, her mind went elsewhere. A memory.

XXX

'_See, Aran.' her father voiced told her. Drawing a line and making symbols. 'This is A..B…C…I know it is hard but it is important for all of us. Especially if we want to communicate…'_

'_But father…I don't understand. Can you do it again?' Aran childishly answered. She was tired. Her father chuckled with the gray eyes looking at her. He was wearing mage robes, all cotton. She was wearing a pants/skirt and a singlet. She smiled back at him._

"_A…B…D?" she answered as she purposely copy her father's way of writing and teaching. Her father roared with laughter, wiping the tears of laughter from his eyes. _

"_Very funny. But now…let's try it again. Since you insist on copying my way of teaching, keep on doing. I will teach u the twenty-seven alphabets….and…you actually can use it in English. So…" He ruffled her hair, making it messier. "It can be use in any language. Remember that Aran. For one day, it will save your life…"_

XXX

"The child of twilight has awakened. Now it is your turn….Ste…." Aran trailed off, trying to look at the last word. "Stellar?"

She looked at them. "It's that my last name?"

Obviously there was no answer.

She grinned at it before the spirits departed to their destination, all glowing brightly. Along with the message. She stood up and it for a few moments to get her bearings before walking towards the training room. With a smile on her face.

XXX

**Forbidden Forest a.k.a The Forest Of Time**

"LEA!" Dual called out but there was no response. "Awww…Come on!"

Evan shrugged. "If I were you. I would stay here. I can feel something in the air. It's very unusual but…it's familiar…I just can't put my finger on it…" Dual frowned.

"That's what you said..." Dual chuckled lightly. Then, his expression turned serious. "5 MINUTES AGO!"

"How can you tell whether it is 5 minutes already?!" Evan snapped. Mir opened her mouth and snarled at Dual, showing her sharp fangs.

"Good point…" Dual mused. "But…this is very unusual…the darkness here is thick. I may not be good in soul-sensing but this is my forte…sensing darkness…." He mumbled on and on, scaring Evan.

Dual then grasped an unfamiliar darkness and clenched his fist. He opened his eyes, his red eyes, turning into a deeper shade of red.

"Well. Well. Well. What do we have here?" Dual said as he looked at the essence. He took a sniff. "The outbreak is getting worse. What's going on?"

'_And whose mana is this? This time, I will catch it.' Dual thought with determination before raising the dark mana into his mouth and ate it, powering him and Leviathan up._

He clapped his hands. "Thank you for the meal."

"What are you doing?" Evan asked curiously. "That's not like you…"

"You don't know the true me actually. The real reason why I acted like that when I first met you guys is because I was feeling…uneasy…You guys are actually my friends….But many of them come and backstab me you see…Only Sam and Lea didn't do that. They stick with me all the way."

Evan nodded. Surprisingly, he understood Dual well enough and decided not to say anything.

"By the way, don't cook any for me. I'm stuffed." Dual said unexpectedly to Evan who was trying to remember where he felt the sensation before. Evan nodded in response. His stomach rumbled and Evan grumbled about food before starting a fire and cook. Which is not recommended especially in a forest like this.

XXX

"Ugh…" Lea moaned. She opened her eyes. She wondered where she was then felt the hard ground and the darkness of the forest limiting her sight.

Feeling drain both magically and physically, she tried to get into a better position. But when she did, she felt something warm on her cheeks. A pair of hands then she felt a blanket had been tucked into her and she turned around but it was gone.

'_What just happen? But…' _She felt warm. _'I feel nice…as if my mother is here…'_ She pulled it tighter around her.

"What time is it?" Lea asked aloud.

'_Nightfall…time travels slower all of the sudden. A few hours before, time travels fast…' Talos answered immediately. 'So what's the time now…It's still Day 1. That's odd…Now wait a second. I need you to support me. Can you do that?'_

Lea tried to summon Talos and immediately her body racked with pain. She clenched her leather shirt.

"I can't Talos…My mana resource is now low…It will take some time to recover fully…" She trailed off, that one effort made her body remember the pain of the intensity of The Black Mage's dark mana. She haven't forgotten about it and it brought tears to her eyes.

She cried in pain. She felt her blood boiling like she was angry when she was not.

'_What's this? It's not metamorphosis...' she thought as she gripped the cloth tightly. _She managed to calm down.

"The moon is rather full today…isn't it?" a familiar voice called out to her. She jumped up, preparing to defend herself. That voice was unmistakable.

"You…" she said murderously, her murderous aura rising. She swiped the air and in her hand was a jet-black dagger. The weapon she detest the most but for the moment, she had forgotten about the past with the cursed dagger as she knew it was the weapon that will decide a certain fate. Life or Death.

"Traitor!" she yelled but she took a step back. She let the blanket fell to the ground and glared murderously at the traitor of her family. The feeling of rage flowed through her.

'_Talos..what's happening to me?' Lea asked. _

'_I don't know. But I think you're going to mature soon but that's one year later not now…' Talos answered uneasily. 'It's best if you avoid battle. You don't have enough mana and rest. Your injuries from both the newest commander of The Black Mage and himself. Although he has treated you with the best medical herbs in Leafre. It's not enough. And right now, your energy level is low-' _

While Talos was busy explaining, Lea had been dodging attacks from one side only. She did what she could to defend but the best she could do is buy some time.

"I got it!" Lea snapped at Talos as she did a somersault, slashing the dagger into the air.

"Special Rend!" she cried. It was an attack only she could do since time and space are connected in one way. The traitor of her family was thrown back, smashing through the trees like no one's business.

"Ugh…a fight in this condition really is not recommendable…" Lea stated. Her face turned into a sickly shade of green and she threw up. If Talos could have do a face-palm, he would have done it but he did a face-tail.

XXX

Dual finally caught Lea's scent and was heading towards her, with Evan and Mir behind him, trying their best to catch up with him. Mir's mark glowed a bit brightly when they were near and they found Lea looking sick.

Dual immediately threw a coat onto Lea and tuck it. She felt better after a few minutes but felt like she was being watched constantly. Dual was tense and he looked really worried.

"Lea…did you have a fight earlier?" he asked quietly. His eyes glowed as he activated Leviathan's sight. In his hands were Lea's weapon and he tossed the bags to Evan who caught it and grunted under the weight of them.

"No." Lea lied, grateful for the fact they were here. "Any of you have like, an elixir or something to replenish my mana?"

Evan shook his head. "I was going to restock my supplies but…"

"It's okay. Right now it's already 10 o'clock at night. We've been in this forest for a long time. The distortion between space is getting worse here. No…time and space. We can use it to get out of here but I can't. You guys have to go first."

Evan and Dual were shocked.

"Why?" both of them asked simultaneously. Evan's eyes finally got used to the darkness and was able to make out a silhouette of a person. He grabbed his staff and light it up. Lea squinted at the sudden brightness and was able to make out a silhouette of a person which was hiding behind one of the trees before it disappeared.

When Evan looked to his left, he saw a rip which was left by Lea herself. While he wasn't looking, Lea weakly push him into the rip and Mir cried out in surprise.

"Go…" Lea murmured. "You have to…go…leave me alone…." Mir looked at Dual and Lea in despair before following her master. Dual sighed. He passed her swords and the star pendant with concern and they locked eyes. An understanding passed between them.

"Just make sure you come back, everyone is waiting…" Dual said before he left and the rip slowly close. Lea held out her dagger, pointing at the rip of space and chanted non-stop, forcing it to close. When it was gone, Lea suddenly felt a lot better.

Lea was thankful that they understand and fervently hope that Evan would forgive her for doing such things to him and she wiped the tears from her eyes. She heard the voice of the forest, like a vibrating hum on her head. She stopped and listened and in her mind, she saw the past came together to her.

She felt stronger and yet, sadness and despair in her heart.

Then, she saw herself as an apparition, looking at a scene of a past that happen in the very same forest.

She looked at a woman who look extremely familiar but her back was turn and a man who was in his 20's. Blue eyes and his hair at the end was tint with blue. With a playful smile on his face. They were both chatting and their clothes look out of date. Their voices were like an echo to her but she was able to distinguish the words.

"But…I have to leave you if I want to continue my research." the man said, his voice gentle and soft. But it was clear that he was in love with the woman. Lea realized something else. The man had the same hairstyle as Luminous but his voice was different and his clothes too were different from the present Luminous.

The woman was silent and Lea felt light-headed. She could feel what the woman was feeling. Her hair was lush brown.

'_Like Erika…' Lea thought then it hit her. 'Could it be?'_ She suspected that something wasn't right and decided to be silent. But they couldn't see her.

"It's up to you." the woman said, her voice familiar. "If you want to protect the light…it's best if you continue. I will wait for you, okay?"

"Are you sure? I mean…" He trailed off. Lea got a glimpse of the woman's face. It was Erika herself. Wearing a turquoise dress with black leggings and boots. On her neck, was a star pendant like what Lea wore many times back at the place.

She gave the man an unwavering gaze. "Of course." She brushed his cheek and smiled. "You're the Transcendence Of Light. Are you not?"

The man blushed furiously. He leaned forward and kissed her.

Lea was shocked.

'_That man was the Transcendence Of Light?...What's going on? What are the secrets you're keeping from us? Talos…but…I thought…he couldn't get her…' _

_Talos looked at her with his eyes which s the same shade as the twilight itself. 'Isn't it obvious? When you're in an arrange marriage…do you think she want it? She was forced to marry some other guys she didn't love…that broke his heart badly.' He sighed unhappily. 'That's when his craving for power started. But when he came back, he changed. A lot. Even we couldn't recognize him anymore. Luminate was angry that his greed was growing. Never money. Just power. It's almost the same as you, dear Lea…but I promise you when you were just 5 years old. That I will protect you.'_

Lea nodded. But she had forgotten about it since she is a human who will forget things unless reminded since young.

'_I understand Talos. I understand…' She trailed off, watching the scene at a distance although the couple had left. _

XXX

Aran did a knee-kick at Phantom when he asked a stupid question. Phantom winced while Gaston laughed.

"Seriously. You have to work more on guarding, dear idiot~" Aran said a bit too innocently and was trying to keep a straight face after seeing Phantom's dumbstruck face. Gaston was rolling on the floor clutching his stomach.

As if a miracle, a portal open on top of Phantom's and Aran's head who both look up in time to get squash.

"For the last time…Don't. Open. A. Portal." Phantom struggled to get the words out under the weight of a boy . "Here!"

"Not my idea." Evan protested. Mir nodded in agreement but was unable to move. She was stuck between the boys and her wings covered them. Aran managed to push an idiot out of the way and rolled over to Phantom's side who is struggling to breathe while Gaston desperately tried to pull Phantom out of the way.

"Stars…stars…" Dual mumbled then pass out. The journey was too much for him. Aran regarded the odd situation calmly. Luminous and Mercedes came running to the training room and made a choking noise when they saw the odd situation.

Aran had a nerve to laugh at Mir's, Evan's and unfortunate Phantom's situation because she just couldn't help it. Luminous had no idea why it was so funny until he recalled the one incident with Freud. Which involves a rash bet and two of the glass vial filled with some kind of liquid and a certain someone who was unfortunate enough to be in the line of fire.

Aran tried to hide her laughter but she wasn't doing so well. Phantom looked a bit squash and narrowly escape instant death from Mir's weight. Aran gestured Luminous and Mercedes who are still a bit confuse to help pull Phantom out.

"You almost died…" Aran muttered with difficulty, trying to stop laughing. "God…"

"I will really appreciate it if you really manage to push a certain. Dragon. Master out of the way." Phantom said with his gritted teeth. Aran giggled.

"Yeah. Sure." Luminous answered sullenly. "Do it yourself." As he said that, he was already by the door and slipped outside much to Aran's amazement and expectation.

"Told you." Aran said as she did a sidelong glance at Mercedes. Mercedes frowned at her.

"Fine." Mercedes tucked her hands in and too, follow Luminous.

Aran heaved a sigh. "As usual. I always win the bet." She proceed helping the poor trio out of the situation.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the late update. Oh, by the way, the next chapter will be longer. SEA finally came out AB and I'm having a good time with it. :3**


	21. Chapter 21 First visit

"Tch." Lea said. "Now…how do I get out of here?"

She walked around in circles before lying on the floor, with her swords and the star pendant on her hands. "What to do. What to do…" She made sure that she was safe from the traitor of her family who is still unconscious.

She felt Talos agitated by something. The scene from the past was gone after a few minutes it ended. Talos was reminded by how and when it started, constantly.

Lea's stomach rumbled hungrily. She put a hand over her stomach.

Eventhough she was starving, she did not want food. She wanted to see her friends and family again. She always felt lonely without her friends and left-out sometimes as she did not participate in _normal _things like chatting and gossiping around. She kept this fact hidden from her family.

She haven't forgotten that she was almost caught once. In Edelstein. Where she met Wendy and saved her from one of the enraged monster outside the town. Normally the monsters outside the town are friendly and peaceful. But something happen over there causing them to go berserk.

As she thought back the day. The day, on 4th of July. Her birthday.

XXX

She was there, observing the citizens movements. Most of them were scared of her. For they fear she's one of the Black Wings.

As usual, she did not let her family know because it was dangerous. She personally asked Grendel The Really Old to keep it a secret. He tried to dissuade her from trying but she stood her ground. He finally relented to her insistent but on one condition.

_"Just come back alive and safe. Luna wouldn't want that." he said with a serious tone that Lea swore not to cross him. She winced when he mention her mother and nodding earnestly before heading out._

The information she had on Edelstein is very little. When she tried to sense the mana around Edelstein. She found most of it was dark mana, but not as pure as hers. She bit her lip as she put her hood up, leaning back on the bench, pretending to sleep on the cloudy day. That time, they haven't detect her yet as she was storing her dark mana onto one of the 'Dark Crystal' which one of Jake's friends, Wee Sheng, forged for her.

She could hear the citizens' thoughts as clear as day.

_'They're too loud…' she thought._

She put her hands into her pocket. She was unharmed, as she wanted to avoid being on their radar. Or to be more precise, she wanted to go slowly. Gain the Watchers' trust but it was hard. Because, they knew everyone and everything in the town. Even they were watching her from afar, carefully taking note.

_'Although '_she mused, _'the overweight one is too busy eating with his food._' She decided to head out of town, keeping to the safe zone. Many citizens were watching her every move and she was very aware. Their curious stares look over at her, judging her every move.

_'Could it be?' a male thought._

_'No , it couldn't…she's not one of them…' another one thought._

_'Impossible. She could die…'_

She gave them a look of irritation, very aware that she was giving something off. She realized that why they haven't know her on sight.

They are the one of the lower ranks. Which meant, they don't have her picture.

She managed a soft chuckle when she saw one of the monsters. It looked like a miniature blimp but with a red siren on it's head and it's eyes were like camera lens. As if they were taking a recording of her.

She could imaging the machineries working inside. She put her hands into her pocket, feeling nothing but yet, observing the monsters' movements. She felt the gaze of the citizens went away. So does the Watchmans'.

Then, she heard a scream, from far away and she ran towards the direction of the sound. Her eyes wild as she did so since she had to avoid attention. She dodged the monsters with such agility that even the citizens were surprise.

They never seen a child as young as her so agile.

_'Which of course'_, Lea smiled, _'It's hard to find.'_

She heard the screaming died down as she arrived at the scene. Lea saw a blue hair girl, waving her staff around, using skills which Lea haven't seen before. The girl was no older than 5 but yet, talented. Intrigue, she took a step forward with ease. She saw many opening on the blue-haired girl but Lea admit, the girl had some skills.

When one of them proceed to strike down the blue-haired girl, Lea intervene, grabbing it's sharp edges with her bare hands. Ignoring the bleeding, she kicked it away.

The blue-haired girl was stunned but got over her shock quickly and took Lea's outstretch hand. Under the weight of a 5 year was no big deal to her since she was forced to babysit triplets once. Unbelievable noisy.

"Shhh." Lea said. She didn't want to frighten the girl but she did. She took out the Dark Crystal and gave the girl a fragment of it.

When the girl touched it, she cringed. She never felt dark mana as pure as this nor as intense of this. She was overcome by fear. Lea pursed her lips. She did not pull her hood down for she fear the danger she was surrounded.

She heard the trees rustle. She turned just in time for a huge bunny to appear. It pinned her down but they were no match for her.

"Seranum. " Lea muttered and the bunny's grip loosened enough for her to break through. She turned, with her black eyes taking in the disoriented look on its face. Seranum, one of the forbidden magic which she secretly learn at the Time Temple before she hit 8. It takes away the life force of her target. The more hatred she have for the target, the stronger the spell.

Normally, she doesn't use it as she hated it.

She wanted an alternative. But it was useless. For it was part of her. Dark mana.

She glared at the target with a mixture of anger and despair. It twitched once before it fell to the ground and slowly transform back to what it was. She held it in her arms, stroking it's fur before setting it free with a sad smile on her face. It hopped once. Twice. Then, it went to one of the green grass and nibbled the sweet grass which was planted there.

She glanced at the girl which she saved. Surprisingly, the girl smiled.

"I'm Wendy. What's yours?"

"Didn't your parents teach you not to give your name to strangers?" Lea chided. "Come here…" The blue-haired girl obeyed.

Lea bend down to the blue-haired girl's ear. "Lea…" she answered reluctantly. "Don't tell anybody, okay?"

"I will!" Wendy immediately answered. "Wait. Let me look at your hands. They're injured aren't they?"

Lea nodded mutely, keeping her face a mask.

"When can I meet you again? Can you stay?" Wendy's face beam as she asked those questions.

Lea wasn't sure what to tell her. She tensed, smelling something sinister coming. She pushed Wendy out of the way and found herself trapped. By an electric cage and she cursed.

She knew better to touch it.

"Hmmm….hmm….when I heard there was a rat in a nest. I thought it would be interesting…" a voice said. An old man came out from the view with a lab coat, indicating that he is a scientist.

_'Run…' Lea telepathic to Wendy who was hidden from the scientist's view. _

She heard Wendy scampered away. She glared at the scientist with absolute malice. He seemed unfazed but merely sizing her up. He scratched his beard and the huge glasses which he was wearing showed nothing. When she looked at it, she felt a bit dizzy because it seemed to swirl.

She averted her gaze from it. She made unhuman growl and the scientist froze. He couldn't move as time around him seemed to slow down. Lea smiled.

_'Looks like I can still control…a bit.' she thought. _She clenched her fist and mimic as if pulling something towards her. She winced in pain. Her body was rejecting it. She groveled onto the ground, gasping and panting. The next thing she knew, she was in a dark room, where little light can flitter through the room.

She smelled monsters. She felt the floor damp with water and she heard water trickling down. Slowly. Her eyes got used to the darkness and she could see a bit and hear somebody talking outside and the machines drilling and blinking away. She also heard wailing.

"Are you sure?" a woman's voice echoed. Lea perked up, straining her ears to hear better, trying to ignore the machines which made a heck lot of noise and giving pain to her ears.

She covered her ears, trying to shut all the noise. She couldn't activate her dragon sight back then. Instead, she lowered her vision to 'magical' and was able to see traces of dark mana in the air. All in black colour. She traced the ground with her fingers, nodding off.

She felt sleepy. So sleepy.

She sniffed the air and chuckled softly to herself.

_'Of course. Now I know where am I…It looked like a mine from what I can tell. That makes a lot of sense. The mine in Edelstein has more minerals compared to the other places of Maple World. But I wonder…' _She widen her eyes, staring at the bar in front of her. _'How long before they will know who I am…'_

The next morning, she finally heard the bar open and the dim lights in the mine blinded her momentary since she has been in the dark cave for who-knows hours. This time, it was the woman with two pigtails. On her hat, was a symbol of the Black Wings and her clothes was trimmed with sliver. She wore white gloves. She tried to look at Lea's face better and proceed to pull down her hood but found it annoying and decided to lean closer.

When the woman saw her face, she gasped in surprise. Lea took the opening. She kicked the woman in the face and push on with all her might, with the alarms blaring and the speaker alerting the members inside to pursue.

Lea managed to get outside, alarming the guard who was in front. She somersault over him. As she did so, her hood fell down, revealing her ponytail hair and black eyes with beautiful features on her.

"Ah, crap." she muttered. Fortunately, her trusty bird, Kau was there.

She skidded over the pavement and cringed at the sight of her friend. The first friend she made in Edelstein who was licking the ice-cream, looking depress and hunchback.

"Borrow~" Lea said as she snatched up a staff which lay on the bench next to Wendy. Wendy was surprised and brighten up.

"I thought you were caught!" she exclaimed. Lea glared at her.

"No time. Just pretend you never see me okay?" Lea said as she swung the staff around and slammed it to the ground as if she was wielding a spear. She had a crazy grin on her face.

The temperature around them seemed to drop a hundred degrees and making the floor frosted with ice and she spun the staff once and flung it at the pursuers. She was delighted to see them fall down and she muttered, "Poor things."

Wendy marveled at Lea, her eyes taking the beautiful features of Lea. Lea tossed her staff in the air and ran towards the Temporary Airport and quickly paid 800 mesos for the ride. By the time they knew where she is, they were too late. She was gone.

The red-headed pilot whistled and with his airplane goggles on. "Nice one."

Lea managed a smirk. "Thank you."

"Let me give you a piece of advice. Don't come back here for the next…let's see…10? 20? Maybe 30 years." Lea scoffed.

"Of course." she said with satisfaction. Pulling her hood up, "Who doesn't? It would be foolish to go back there." She let out a sigh of anticipation. "I haven't tried the ice-cream yet.."

"You know what? I think I can just tell you a secret. Recently, I heard them trying to find a person who was not from this town. Able to use dark magic." He looked at her hands and tutted.

"I know. And that's me." Lea said without thinking. She clenched her fist, feeling a sharp pain. The pilot was silent and thought she was nuts.

When she got back to Victoria Island, she immediately head to Ellinia. She was pretty sure that she was going to get one-heck-of-lecture from Mr-Panaroid/Sister Complex. Which she did. That put an end to her two days and one night trip in Edelstein with her mother scolding and what-not. The Dark Crystal, she left it on Grendel's desk after a day or two which cause one heck of chaos in the library which she intended.

XXX

Shaking herself back to reality. She chuckled. It was still a few month before her birthday. She found it harder and harder to escape after a few hours. Minutes.

She amused herself by whistling then grown bored again. She had enough boredom today.

XXX

Jake was busy researching on the sample of a plant, Marigona, a purplish flower which was recently discovered by one of the magicians in Ellinia. He was scribbling notes and examine it under a microscope which he kept under the loose wooden board.

The purple plant looked beautiful but yet, Jake felt something off. And he hoped that he was wrong. As much as he like to search for Lea, his hands are full with this one.

He pull out one of his drawer and took out Lea's pen. Infused with a magic rock, he poked it. It shriveled a little.

Pushing himself back from the chair, he stared at it curiously. He put his palm out and managed a weak holy light and touched it. But this time, nothing happen. He scratched his chin.

He decided to throw the sample outside and see what happen. This time, it transformed into a beanstalk.

"What is this? Jack and The Beanstalk?" Jake marveled. "You must be joking."

"Except for the fact that your name is Jake." A familiar voice answered rudely. He turned and scowled at one of them. "Excuse me? Ya knaw that it's very rude to eavesdrop? If not. We can settle this outside." Jake put on an innocent smile, unnerving them. He was famous for being a 'Killer Bishop' and for some unknown reason, he was also one of the youngest magician to become a Bishop. In the age of 7.

Heck. He's even one of the smartest person except for the fact in certain things.

"As much as I did like to stick around," Jake began with a grin on his face. Taking his jacket from his seat, "I have to go."

Pushing the chair back to it's place and putting on his jacket as he reach outside. He stopped at the doorway and glanced backwards. "By the way, clean up the mess."

He turned with satisfaction as he heard the spluttering sound from the mage and hailed a taxi to Kerning City for some fun.

XXX

He got into the mall and decided to change into a more casual ones. Like shorts and yellow shirt with a red sweater to go with it. He stuffed his mage clothes onto one of the lockers and head back to the surface.

He went to _their _gathering place. He saw Wee and the others playing basketball like crazy. Sweating and panting. He climbed onto the debris and watch his step as he climb down from the other side.

For several years, the court was abandon until they found it. When they found it, they spread the news and now, it's always crowded.

There is two court, both big enough for a competition.

But no seats for the spectators. Plastic and water bottles lay around with bags stuff with extra clothes.

At the other side, there was a cycling/skateboarding course which most boys went. But it was a nuisance to bring a bicycle along since it was a long way and the shortest path was to the dangerous abandon construction site.

He greeted many of them and snatched a ball from Wee who was surprise.

"Finally. I thought you would never come." Wee greeted. The boys did a bro-fist together and began playing. But not until Jake sensed something wrong from the other side of the court.

"Wait!" Jake shouted before tossing the ball towards Wee and ran to the other side where people had started to gather. A person had pass out. Jake moved forward, and bend down to check his pulse. It was faint.

Jake cursed a bit before asking one of them to call an ambulance.

But Jake was very aware that it was a race against time. Unknown forces have start to move.

"We won't give up without a fight." Jake muttered coolly before splashing some water onto his head, cooling himself down. "Wee…call the others to go home. Make sure they lock all their doors. Something is going on here and…contact the Alliance. We have business to attend to now."

Wee obeyed without question and most of them were clueless what's going on and barraged Jake and Wee with questions. But it was pointless. But when Jake could stand no longer, he snapped at them which he rarely did.

"If." Jake began, with a tone of his. Wee knew this tone. He wasn't going to answer them unless necessary. "You don't go back home. Right here. Right now. You're gonna end up in a hospital soon…"

Immediately the others left, leaving the unconscious one and Jake alone. Wee scowled at him.

"One day," Wee chided. "People will not like you." Jake gave him a stony expression.

"I know." He sighed sadly. "But now is not the right time. Not after he had broken through his seal. And…with Lea out of action for the time being. The disorientation between time and space is getting worse. I can feel it. I may not control time nor space. But I can sense the light."

"But I thought it was holy." Wee protested. Jake glared at him.

"Light and holy is the same except for the fact that holy is stronger against undead. Necromancy. That's one of the dark magic…except for the fact. It is undead…" He trailed off, remembering some unpleasant memories from the past when he first research about the weaknesses of each element. He still don't understand why Lea can use multiple elements.

Normally, a mage has at least two or one specialty but Lea has more than any of them put together. Time and space is one of those but she doesn't use it often. Because she understand both.

As if reading his thoughts, Wee pat his back. "Do you think the other side is making their move?"

Jake nodded gravely. "It is…I wonder how many sides are there. In this war…" He trailed off, his eyes look distant under the sunset.

"It will take a while. The attack on Ereve ain't easy, bro. We have to move too…after all…this is a three-way war now."

"Nope." Jake retorted. "It's not clear yet." Wee shrugged.

"Suit yourself. I will keep training but I need some rest…" Wee let out a yawn. "Besides, we've to keep our career in singing."

XXX

Jake lay down on a bed in Grendel's attic with some other mages who decided to stay for the night. He kept infusing his hand with his mana and watch them glow warmly. It distracted the other mages who shot him an irritated look before scribbling or mumbling spells to themselves.

He then, slowly closed his eyes, letting his hand went limp and started to relax. As he did so, he felt Guwar inside him, swishing his tail back and forth and his great wings flapping, following with the heartbeat in their hearts.

* * *

**A/N: Just came back from camp yesterday...I wanted to upload it the day before the camp starts but haven't finish. It was fun but tiring.**


	22. Chapter 22 Journal, Lector, Kingdom

**Jake's Dream**

_When he was 13 years old, while Lea was 10. The Dark Crystal which she left of Grendel's table freak many of the apprentices out. But he understood. She wanted him to keep it. And use it as it fit, as long as it doesn't fall to the wrong hands._

_But, what did he do with it? Nothing…nothing at all._

_XXX_

_Guwar looked at Jake. _

"_It's seems that you understand Jake. The reasons…the belief that you held that the Dark Crystal which she gave you are wrong." Guwar said sorrowfully. "Yes. You can use it as you see…but…do you?"_

"_No." Jake immediately answered. "Then, what is it?"_

"_Because…when two dark mana is combined…it will be stronger. Purer. And…the intensity of it…it is nothing compared to the now Lea." Guwar answered, closing his green eyes and spreading his great wings. "But it comes with a great price."_

"_What is it?" Jake asked, dreading the answer. _

"_Something most precious to you. In most cases, life…but for her, it's her relationship between her friends and…most importantly…" He sighed. "Her loves ones."_

"_That will be who?" Jake asked, his tone, a bit light. But his features etched with worries._

_Guwar looked at him. "If you only know…if we only know…unfortunately, it still remains as a mystery. Perhaps one day your sis, will talk to you about it…"_

"_Everything comes with a price, Jake. Nothing is ever free. Power, if one wants one, he must earn it. No pain, no gain. Just like you, humans perfectly interpret. You understand, don't you? Hmm…"_

"_I fear that Lea may not have much life in her. If, of course, she doesn't understand, what's going on very well…there are more than she thinks. Right now, gathering the Balancers, all five of them in one place is enough. Then, perhaps, her knowledge on Order, Chaos, Talos, Luminate and Leviathan will broaden more and she will have enough resolve…to perhaps…have the will, to seal a person up." Guwar continued with remorse. "I'm sorry, but I can't tell you anymore than I should. The Kingdoms of Animals must be UNITED. Dragons or not, they are included. The leaders must be equal and all the throne must be filled with the rightful ones. That is your task, Jake. Do not. IN any under CIRCUMSTANCES, FAIL all OF US!"_

XXX

Jake woke up with sweat and puffed. At first, he had forgotten where he was then relax when he remembered.

He silently thought about what Guwar had warned him. Lea may not have much time left and will die which-Jake thought-It's impossible. Lea had told him, that they were immortal, until, the 1000 year cycle restart.

It's not true…after all-Jake thought with a heavy heart-you lied to me on the last one, or is it not? What is the truth and what is a lie? I couldn't separate any of them anymore…

Jake decided to have one last chat with Lea, to confirm some things, before, heading his own journey, and asking, the other mages, to continue his research, and start, his lonely journey and his singing career, abandon for the time being until the world is a safer place.

He took his coat and started heading towards the Six Path Crossway and wait for those who are coming to the meeting. He have to tell them regardless Lea's and Crow's protest.

Only after an hour or so, he arrived at Ereve which is in pitiful state. But, he can tell that they were doing their very best to patch things up here. He knew that would be normal in no time if, there were good news, not so many bad news compared to the good ones.

He spotted Dual at the distance, toying with his scarf and the girl Aran who once, shared body with his sister. She saw her looking grim and pissed off at somebody and snapped at an unfortunate someone known as Phantom who was trying his best to not to cringed but cowering. He tried to look for the remaining heroes but they doesn't seemed to be around and immediately Jake suspected it was Phantom's fault.

Wee nudged him and pointed at a certain babe. Jake turned away, shaking his head disapprovingly before Wee could go, he took the back of his collar and pulled him away.

XXX

As Neinheart slammed the table with his documents and glared at Jake who was looking positively guilty. Wee was whistling behind him feeling probably 100 stares at the duo.

"You could have told us earlier." Aran said menacingly, her sky blue eyes looking piercingly at the duo. She was sitting opposite Jake with her arms tucked in and her hoodie on, making her eyes seemed to glow. For what reason she pulled the hoodie up, nobody knows.

But what they wondered the most is where did she get the clothes, and more importantly, where's her Rein clothing.

Aran frowned as she could hear their thoughts and lean backwards to the chair, even more worried whether Phantom will keep his end of his bargain.

She never like making bargains with him especially-Aran thought with a scowl-it comes to a personal matter. As she glanced at Phantom who looked perfectly at ease with his rich and a kind of what a noble would wear clothing. He caught her gaze and winked.

She felt rage boiling inside her and Jake could feel it, even from far away with a shudder.

"Shall we conclude the meeting?" Neinheart unexpectedly ask and gave the trio an questioning look which they avoid. They shook their head in unison especially Dual who felt his sweat dropping from his face. Aran did her best to make her face a mask while Phantom did a poker face.

"If you want to." Wee answered with a shrug. With that, the meeting was adjourned.

As the crowd disperse, Dual and Aran heaved a sigh of relieve and look at Phantom who was stretching and grabbed his cane with his left before swiping the air and did some complex manoeuvre with his weapon with Aran and Dual looking unimpressed as they let out a yawn.

The bags under their eyes were clearer than before and Phantom managed a light smile.

"Shall we begin?" Phantom asked and the duo nodded in respond.

As they moved towards the forbidden area, where Shinsoo was waiting for them patiently. Aran patted Shinsoo's feathery head with a light smile and her eyes seemed to shine a bit.

"Hello." Shinsoo greeted, lifting her head towards Aran and respond affectionately to her hand. Dual hesitated to pat Shinsoo's head but Aran forced it onto her head and chuckled. Dual's reaction was amazed.

He looked like a child who found something new and interesting but satisfied with the knowledge which he held in his hands. Phantom just watch them quietly. He didn't want to spoil the moment but have to as he coughed.

He knew they were being watch by many curious people who still haven't disperse and whispered to Aran with a tone of urgency, "Hurry." Aran immediately glared at him and Shinsoo understood what she need.

"It's still there and no worries. Just say to the guards that you have the permission to enter the chambers of the Empress." Shinsoo answered softly before lying her head onto the ground.

Aran locked eyes with Phantom and they nodded. Dual stood up and let the duo lead the way.

XXX

"I insist. Shinsoo allowed us to enter the prohibited area." Aran said with absolute certainty that the two guards which are guarding the main entrance uneasy.

"It couldn't hurt." One of them said to the other who nodded. They stepped back allowing the trio through. They heard cry of outrage from the Cygnus Knights and under Aran's glare, they paused. They felt something in their blood and bones that she was not a force to be underestimate. Phantom walked in as casually as he could and waited for the companions to catch up and pointed at the high ceiling.

"I left a mark here." Phantom said with pride. Showing a carte on it which was craved to the bricked wall. Aran squinted at it since it is at a dark area and shook her head.

"It should be…" Phantom muttered to himself as he traced his cane over the walls. "Ahha! It's here." he called out as he pushed a brick which led to a secret doorway. Aran's jaw drop in surprise, so does Dual's.

They heard something rumbling and above Phantom there was a huge hole, large enough even for a grown man to fit through. Phantom slammed the side with satisfaction before entering without a second thought. Dual shrugged and entered while Aran hesitate, as her phobia of darkness was getting worse.

But she felt her stomach tugging, as if something is pulling her in but in her heart she felt that it was wrong. As if they might find secrets they shouldn't know.

"Come mon'!" Dual cried out, putting his head outside the hole with a look of impatience. "Can you hurry? We ain't got all day!"

"Or…" Dual changed his tone to a teasing one. "Are you too scared?"

Aran felt her cheeks flushed. "SHUT UP!" She tried to chase Dual but barely caught him as he ducked inside. She heard the duo chuckled and that made her forget her phobia as she climbed the walls, using one of the pillars and held one hand onto the edge of the hole and forced herself up.

She started having breathing difficulties after a few minutes inside the stuffy hole. Although Phantom was leading the way, she had trouble following them since her eyes haven't adjust to the darkness. When she did, she found that Phantom had stop and was jumping down. They heard a splash and she groaned.

"I'm gonna kill him if he lose us here with water." Aran mumbled mostly to herself before Dual's turn. Again she heard a splash and Dual grumbling loudly.

When it was her turn, she was temporary blinded by the sudden brightness and could hear a waterfall nearby. She blinked a few times before her eyes adjusted to the beautiful scenery. She could see many trees, their leaves were all different colours from deep blue to light pink. She wished that she could take a picture but she wasn't here for that.

"ARAN!" Phantom called, shaking his head disapprovingly but a smug look on his face. He knew that they would like it. "Hurry up! Why are you so slow today? This isn't like you!"

A flash of irritation crossed Aran's face. "Yeah. Yeah. Sure." she said before jumping down and soaking the hem of her pants in process. She shook the dust of her shoulders and follow Phantom who was going on ahead. She could not hear him chuckling to himself but she could tell that he was glad to be back here.

What seems like hours to Aran was actually minutes, after climbing and balancing. She did a terrifying balancing with one hand to pass a narrow path which naturally impressed Dual and Phantom. But when it is their turn, she found Dual's balancing amusing as he just jump (which has a HUGE risk) and Phantom who merely walk casually, whistling as he did so and use his cane as a balancing thing (?).

After many countless paths and solving confusing puzzles which was _suddenly_ there, Phantom took Aran's old journal off its place and handed it to Aran who took it gingerly.

"It's not like it's gonna bite you." Dual stated, glancing at Phantom who was perspiring like crazy. Phantom glared at him.

"You had no idea." Phantom said with a drawl voice. He was very conscious that Aran was glaring at him after flipping through her diary once or twice.

"Seriously?" Aran said with disbelief. "You really made one _hell_ lot of _mess_ in my _journal_!" Phantom did a poker face and prod the ground with his cane before shuffling his cards as they walk.

"I really can't believe, you've actually manage to keep it a secret for…" She pretend to do the maths. "A billion, zillion, TRILLION-"

"So…you want me to spill the beans to the others?" Phantom said, knowing that she would shut up which she did, but growling.

It took some time to escape from the beautiful but yet the troublesome-and the most annoying secret passage ever created in Ereve.

XXX

Aran tapped the table with her fingers, following the beat of the music. Right now, Luminous was looking at her drawings which she drew onto her journal. The more he did, the more it scared Aran. Reasons? Easy. She hid a secret that nobody knows since Aria's death.

Until Phantom came.

Until he obliged to her odd favour and broke his promise. Aran thought he had nightmares which explained the bags around his eyes getting darker.

But, the only one picture which she still can't understand…

She had no idea what it was about since it was smudge. She sighed unhappily as she look at Baru and her counterpart, one hand over their eyes and another laying on their stomach in separate sofas.

She heard the wind rustled and frowned. Without realizing it, she slumped backwards, feeling extremely comfortable and sleepy. But before she could even think about sleeping, Luminous beckoned her closer and held a picture about him and Lania, smirking at another boy whom she don't recognize.

Luminous stared at it sadly.

"That's…_Lector_…." Luminous said that name with pain. "He's my best friend…Beowan…." Luminous shook his head dejectedly. "He died from battle. We were in the same age. Lucia was only a year younger than us. We used to play together but as the training got harsher, we hardly talk."

"It was only on 'White Day'." Luminous paused. He look at Aran's sky-blue eyes. "The day, when all the members of…Serenity come together." He was unable to turn away from her gaze and explained, "It is held twice every year. During equinox. Where the light and dark are balance. Which, that time, I found it ironic."


	23. Chapter 23 Return, Maha and Balance

**A/N: Surprises and surprises. I left a bit of hint in the previous chapter. And you guess it. It's part of the original plot. R & R please. By the way, the next update will probably be longer. **

* * *

"It is also the day where light mages are called to gather and pass a test. A test which is complicated but yet, simple." Luminous said. Under Aran's confused look as she doesn't get it made Luminous complied to her questions which she ask.

"The cleverest trap is always a simple one." Luminous explained and Aran nodded. "Now…White Day is also a day for the chosen apprentices to graduate or to be more precise, broaden their knowledge on the light. But the weird thing is, the crystals over there _shone_ brighter than usual. Many of _us_ take it as a sign that the light is still alive. Which I guess," He shrugged. "It's true."

Aran was quiet suddenly as she thought what he said.

"Could stars be one of the lights?" Aran asked quietly. Luminous pondered her question thoughtfully as he put down the paper and the journal together.

"Yes." he said without hesitation and he can tell that Aran was tense.

"I remembered my last name." she said the very words that all of them were keen to hear. "I will say it for the next morning. I'm exhausted." To prove her point, she let out a long yawn before forcing herself up and said, "Good night." to Luminous and went to her room.

When she lay down on her bed and look at the porthole with the moon shining bright and looking big, she tried to sleep, but her mind doesn't want to. Eventually exhaustion take over and she slept fitfully, dreaming about Erika and Lea and Alice, the Transcendence Of Life, whom she never seen before. Much less, talk to.

XXX

**Aran's Dream**

_She dreamed that she was in a dark place, the trees bare and wilted. Jewels scattered across the bare ground. And Maha, the weapon was stuck in the middle. His spirit, looking desperately at the ground as he find the identical red jewels, none of them are his. She started approaching Maha but was pushed back by some unknown forces. Soon, her heels dig uselessly at the bare ground as the wind suddenly got stronger._

_Then, her dream shifted into a several thrones, emptied, waiting to be seated by the rightful one and Jake searching for them. But she also saw Jake, looking troubled and worried. He also looked lonely as he gazed at the thrones sadly with a mixture of doubt._

_She saw a symbol, each differentiating the thrones from the other. An owl, tiger, wolf, dragon and several more, each in their own unique ancient language. She also saw a dragon with deep indigo scales and it's wings spread behind Jake with it's green eyes looking pitifully at the empty thrones._

_But, it's not only that. She can sense a presence behind her. It held her shoulder firmly._

_"Either the Clan Of Stars heal us or destroy us. Your parents are the first to attempt and perhaps, the last to fall…" a familiar voice said._

_"Talos. Why are you here?" Aran asked with her gritted teeth with steel in her tone. She dare not look at the dragon._

_"I'm a fragment inside you. When you manifest with __**us**__ my dear, you too, have part of my power in your disposal. Only, if I choose, can remove it." Talos explained. "You're not alone. Neither am I. Chaos and Order is still inside you, asleep, waiting to be awaken again."_

_Aran clenched her fist. "It's that what causing Maha to suffer?" she asked angrily, her voice shook despite her control over it._

_"No." Talos answered. "It's __**you**__ who is causing him pain." Aran was stunned. But she still don't want to turn around. She felt a squeeze at left shoulder which was gentle._

_She grimaced as she remembered Maha's state. She still do not understand._

_"Tell me. How can I help him?" she asked desperately, her eyes started to prick. _

_'No, I will not cry' she thought. That did the trick as she felt her eyes no longer pricking. She felt the pressure on her left shoulder lift._

_"By giving him attention. Maha's is just like a child. Besides, my real body is no longer in the necklace but Lea's body." Aran looked confuse._

_"But I thought it's spiritually?"_

_"Yes and no." Talos answered before she woke up. _

XXX

**Reality**

For a few minutes, she couldn't remember where she was then she realized that the sunlight is filling the room and decided to head off. To training. She assumed that it was 10 in the morning since she had a bad habit of hers to sleep past 8 or 9 which caused Lilin to wake _them_ up.

Before she's even fully awake, she bumped into someone and muttered, "Sorry." before continuing. She was still half-asleep, obviously.

Her counterpart shook his head, brushing his teeth and a mug in his other hand as he headed towards the kitchen which obviously, Phantom kicked him immediately. As usual, he shrugged non-chalantly before heading to the bathroom to take a quick shower.

XXX

Phantom drummed his fingers at the dining table. "I can't believe he has the nerve to do that kind of thing." He said angrily but with a grudging admiration. Mercedes picked her food with her fork, apparently bored.

"I need some air." Mercedes announced before she left the room, her food uneaten which Baru immediately took.

Munching down a celery, he glanced around the room and sniffed the air coming from the kitchen door which was left slight ajar by none other than the Phantom Thief. He started to drool and his hands went slack.

"Disgusting." Luminous remarked calmly as he edged away from Baru. He was starting to regret sitting next to Baru. He may not have sharp sense of smell as Baru but he knew that the food in the kitchen is starting to get into Baru…and himself.

In the next half an hour, the boys headed to the training room while the duo Aran finally entered the dining room. Taking what they can before heading to the training room together in silence. Each lost in their own thoughts.

They both haven't realized that they are in trouble. With the weapons they wield and the spirit they both shared.

The girl Aran couldn't help but think about Maha, the poor spirit who was once a famed warrior. He may be a jerk sometimes to her but deep down in the girl Aran's heart, she knew that Maha is scared. Scared that he was a discarded object.

XXX

Half the day has passed and the Heroes walked out sweating. Baru decided to stay behind saying something about improvement.

"Can't believe that you're not complaining!" Phantom whined at the duo Aran, giving them an accusing look in turn. Luminous mouthed her, "You don't want to tell us?"

Aran gave him a look that said: _I'm so gonna kill you…_

Luminous gulped. Luckily, Phantom was still whining at the duo Aran so he did not see the message at all. But Mercedes did and raised her eyebrows.

Luckily for the duo Aran, they both kick him one at the stomach another at the face. Which caused Phantom to fall and gasped for breath for a few moments before gaining his breathing bad and the duo Aran whistled. As if they have done nothing wrong.

They knuckle bump with each other and the tension between them broke as they started cracking up. Luminous smiled from ear to ear and join in. It was until Gaston put his head at the living room door to find out what the noise is about make the atmosphere a bit tense. Mercedes and Orchid both covered their ears, bracing themselves for screaming. Although Orchid had lost most of her power, she still can use simple spells. But not strong enough which gave her doubts about fighting.

Once a commander, now reduced to a normal girl. She pouted at the thought.

"A-" Luminous began but the girl Aran elbowed him hard. She had many questioning looks from her friends which she shrugged it off.

Gaston looked at her suspiciously then decided nothing was wrong except for one thing.

His master.

"Phantom!" he called out before rushing to every room he can find and searched for him high and low.

They tried to keep a straight face but the girl Aran could not stop the giggle coming out from her mouth.

"God. That. Was. Awesome!" her counterpart said before he high-five with the light mage and her. She grinned rather mischievously.

"Of course." she said with glee. "It's payback after all. Gaston will find him. Besides," Her expression turned serious. "Did you have any dreams lately?"

The boy Aran's expression darkened.

"Yes. It's more about Maha recently. Three days straight."

The girl Aran sighed. "I thought it was my fault. But wait. Let me start from the beginning."

"But." she added. "Let's see who will win the bet."

Luminous grinned. "You're on!"

"Incredibly childish." Orchid remarked. Mercedes nodded with agreement.

"Five minutes." The girl Aran said confidently. Her counterpart's confidence wavered a bit.

"Twenty."

"An hour." Luminous said calmly. Well, he wished that he wouldn't be found at all. But, an hour is the least. For him.

Five minutes have passed and they heard an unmistakable footstep. The door opened with a disgruntled thief walked in with an accusing finger pointing at the trio.

"That's your fault!" Phantom started shouting,

"Kay." The girl Aran replied a bit casually before reaching out for her counterpart's ear and pulled it hard. Before Luminous could get away, she flicked a finger on his forehead with a smile. Then, her expression turned sad. Before Luminous could decide if she was sad, she turned away.

XXX

**Somewhere in Maple World**

A brown robe was hung at a tree. At least, that's what normal people think _if _they saw her. The black eyes surveyed the terrible scene in front of her. War after war. Generations after generations, but the war still rage on. But the most important one, The War Between The Transcendence Of Dark between the Balancers which had started long time ago. Has not been solved. The Heroes had merely delayed the problem.

Her two swords, kept hidden from unwanted eyes were glinting under the sun. She managed to escape the accursed forest.

Funny she was weak just few days ago. That was thanks for the time she has eaten. Her Dragon Slayer element, Time. Many people wasted their whole lives thanks to dawdling and not seeing the whole picture of their existence. Some are cruel and some are kind. But sadly, she concluded, there are more people with bad intentions in this world.

She jumped down from the tree which was fifteen meters high and survived the fall like it was nothing. She merely arched her back like a cat and landed on her two feet as she somersault in the air.

That was just the basics.

She sensed her little brother presence and she stood still. She had a talent for people not spotting her despite wearing bright colours. She made sure that her robe is dull brown, useful for hiding and looking like a merchant which some people may come by in their adventures.

She grinned. She approached the house which is a huge Orange Mushroom house, abandoned until the Shrooms decided to move in.

"Hmph. Mom's taste never change." She remarked with a smile. She felt herself coming back to life after three days of wandering.

"Mum! I'm home." She cried out, her voice no longer hoarse, her muscles no longer ached. She was fully healed.

Inside, her mother, Luna perked up. She thought she would never hear the _voice_ again. She peeked out and saw a hooded figure.

No matter what clothes she wears, Luna will always recognize her. She invited her daughter to the household, feeding the hot stew which she just made. The Shrooms were crowding over the newcomer but lost interest after Luna shooed them away.

She watched her daughter, eating hungrily. She felt her heart lift with joy. When she first heard the news when her daughter was kidnapped, she could hardly hold herself together. Her husband wasn't doing any better. So, she had to be strong for her family.

After a few minutes of staring, her daughter looked up, a smile was only shown as the hood shadowed most of her face.

"Thank you. Mom. For being patient with all of us. I see Crow is short again. Did Jake feed him anything strange?" Her daughter said, Luna hugged her.

"As usual." Her mom shrugged. "Lea, it's okay. No matter what happens. I will support your decision. Even if it means throwing your life away in the war." She paused. "But. Promise me that you will come back."

"I swear…" Lea trailed off. "It's time to tell the good news. Hopefully, the others will be there. Tell the 3rd head about the problem brewing underground. It's better to eliminate them when possible. We don't want any risk or distractions from the underground."

Her mother nodded. "Good luck, Lea. Remember your promise."

Lea gave a nod before heading to Ereve. She bit her thumb hard enough for it to bleed before using her blood to draw the sky. She was sending a signal only her clan could realize. The Clan Of Stars.

"You want war? Let's see who will win this time…Black Mage." She muttered. "Let's get this started."

* * *

**A/N: I will explain more in the next chapter about the relationship of White Day which I mentioned in the previous and this chapter and the duo Aran's problem with Maha. Hopefully I can find the time to do it and thanks YuKiSkye for reviewing my challenge and giving me tips on how to improve more. **


	24. Chapter 24 Problems Part 1

The atmosphere in the living room was tense. Phantom perked up when he heard her said or to be more specific, mumbled, "…Remembered my last name."

"What?" Phantom said sharply. "Did you say?"

And the girl Aran knew she was trapped.

"Damn." she cussed under her breath. She masked her face.

"Hm? I think you heard wrongly." She said politely but with steel at the edge of her tone. Phantom knew he was onto something as he raised one eyebrow up and lean back to his chair with a smug on his face.

"Haha." he said sarcastically. "I can hear you perfectly well, Aran." There was a hidden challenge under these sentences which Luminous registered and glanced at his girlfriend who look calm. But he can guess her mind.

He stared at Phantom, tucking his arms together and see where the flow goes. It was a test of will between the warrior and a thief.

As usual, Luminous stood at the sidelines, guessing what actions the two will take like the past. Freud had noticed this very often and encouraged him to do so. Since, it's a survival skill, which in Luminous's case, it's true. But Luminous use it mostly on his friends, mainly Lania since she's…a bit unpredictable.

The girl Aran sighed before raising her hands in defeat.

"You've got me." she said. Phantom detected sarcasm in the tone.

But he let it slide. The others except for Luminous and Phantom were surprise and they started shooting her questions. She just kept quiet.

"It's just Stellar. What's so special about it anyway?" she finally answered. Luminous with an incredulous look on his face, shook his head in disbelief. At the same time, Mercedes's jaw drop.

"Are you sure?" Mercedes said it carefully, the name made her hackles raised without any of them knowing. She remembered the name that is well known in her time. It was the name that sealed many evil creatures which threatened the elves' peace. She had seen them in action once before she met any of _them_ when her mother was still alive.

She did not know what happen to them as she thought they had died up but she was dead wrong.

There _is_ one in front of her. Aran can sense that something is bothering her friend and raised her eyebrows. She pondered the problem a while before she shrugged it off.

"Yes." she answered confidently. Orchid saw Mercedes's eyes change but it was back to normal and merely thought that it was just her.

Mercedes smiled sadly at her. Aran had no idea what's so special about the name but decided to keep it to herself.

But Orchid just had to spoil it as she snapped her fingers. She looked excited which is the first for all of them. "I remember no-"

She was interrupted by a sudden ringing noise in Baru's bag. Which, of course, none of them touch it and waited for the noise to cease. It stopped and again it started again which made Aran put her head out and shouted for the whole airship to hear, "DUDE! Your god-damn-it phone is ringing!"

Within a few minutes, Baru came inside, a towel on his head, his shirt stuck to his chest and rummaged his bag for his handphone and squinted at the unknown number. He tossed it to Phantom who caught it and answered.

"Hello?" he said casually. "This is the delivery service."

Luminous did a face-palm. Baru slipped out of the door, ignoring them and had a feeling that he made a right choice. As soon as he thought about it, he heard some screaming from Mercedes and especially the girl Aran who suddenly yelped and shouting, "Get it off me!" and some creative cursing from the boy Aran and Phantom.

"What's going on?" Ven asked Baru suspiciously as he heard the screaming and shouting. Baru shrugged.

"Don't know and.." Ven proceeded to the door to the living room. His paws not making any sound on the once clean of fur and dust carpet. "I wouldn't open it if I were you." added Baru.

XXX

"HACCHOO!" Lea sneezed. She blew her nose with a tissue paper before discarding it to the nearest bin. She suddenly had a flu which in her case is bad. She sniffed once before continue her journey. She had restock on some new clothes and potions. But she needed to let _them_ know. But before she could do so, a familiar voice reached her ears.

Sam.

"Damn." She cursed. She pretend not to hear her greeting and heard running despite the noises around her. She looked head on and increased her pace, trying not to interact with Sam. She did it as she weaved in and out of the crowds like a shadow.

She shuddered as if she had swallow something unpleasant. She felt the dark mana inside her building, threatening to overcome her if she doesn't leak it but she forced it down. It was futile attempt but at the last moment, it stopped, obeying her wishes and retreated back where it came from.

_'You could always ask for help.' Talos said before letting out a long yawn. 'Since you've enough energy, even more to dark mana. I'm amaze that you could control it this time – since you are still weak in terms of soul.' He looked at her lazily. _

_'For now.' Lea snapped._

_'That is – if you can really have a good bed rest. Eating your own element merely speed up your healing of injuries by a fraction and – if you want to, boost up your attacks. Especially Dragon Slayer magic.' Talos continued as if he hadn't been interrupted. 'But.' He looked at her in the eyes. 'Not what the damage has been inflicted on your soul.'_

Lea grunted in annoyance. She whined aloud, "I don't care!"

She froze, conscious that she was drawing attention to herself. She sneezed again. It was unbearable for her but she couldn't help it. It was a rainy season.

Well, at least in her case. She shook her head, giving the townsfolk a smile and a wave and head off. This time, aware she was followed by someone…or something else.

XXX

She was at Kerning City, frowning at the court which was unusually quiet in this time of hour. Her eyes scanned the area and she slid down dangerously on wet ground and mud splattered across her shoes.

She could only picture that it happened 3 days ago. She saw the tracks and dust gathering onto the court, which she dismissed except for one thing. An unusual track was at the centre of the court upon closer look. She scowled at it. It was like a bird but yet at the same time, it wasn't.

Seeing that the unusual track was clear and no dust gathered it, she dismissed the thought. She turned her back on it and walked away.

She knew that she had to change her clothes although it was filthy and torn in many places from the bouts she had with Damien. Her instinct told her that it was not worth since it would eventually repair itself, although she wasn't sure how.

She had tried asking Talos about it but he wouldn't answer instead, giving her a mischievous glint in his eyes and laughed, as if he knew something she doesn't.

She tugged her robe closer to her, taking comfort of the weight of her swords. The vest that came with the outfit was gone when she gave it to some poor guy who look blue with cold at Henesys when the rain came pouring. He thanked her and trudged away, feeling warm in his heart. She did not know that Damien was watching from the shadows, admiring her kindness.

Again, she felt the same tingling at her neck and glanced around. She decided to have some fun at the skateboarding court which she haven't went for quite some times in the recent turns of events. She took a skateboard, slimy green and some rock band names on it which was left at the corner. She pulled down the hood and began to climb until the highest sliding and took a deep breath.

She put one leg on the skateboard and her other leg, pushing her and down she went in an amazing speed and did some tricks with it on the other end. She didn't consider putting on a helmet since, she mused, she has a natural talent with skateboarding, much to her friends' disbelief.

"Having fun?" a familiar voice that always made her heart skip a beat. She almost lost her balance and barely had the time to reach the end and climbed up, huffing.

"Y'know, you could just like. Capture me easily." Lea said with sarcasm in her voice. She found Damien at the opposite side with a mischievous smile on his face. Damien raised an eyebrow. This was getting interesting. His eye patch, showed his demon mark was glowing brightly as the night began to fall.

He chuckled lightly to himself, his red eye gleamed at the sunset. He licked his lips with anticipation. His whole body was crying for a fight and he was glad that Lea escape but at the same time, disappointed that he will miss her as a sparring partner.

She discarded the brown robe which flew away by the wind, revealing her torn pants especially at the knees and her shirt, with sword cuts shown. Lea's hands were on the hilt of her swords, preparing to draw them out. Damien too, his hands slowly went for the hilt of his sword and the wind stilled.

She looked at him uneasily. She started perspiring at the forehead and she knew the moment one drop of her sweat hit the ground, they would both fight.

She unsheathed her swords with that grinding sound. Damien did the same likewise and they both held their stance.

She forced to calm her breathing and began planning and predicting what he would do. Normally, she would have already knock him out but Damien was already stronger than she thought. Too strong for her soul.

Her breath turn into a mist thanks to the coolness of the air around them. Her mere presence was making her surroundings into a freezer. She was using Talos's power to do it although it was taking a toll on her as she trembled a bit before falling onto one knee, using her swords as her support. Damien took the opening.

When he saw a smile in a kind of a way that made him uneasy, too late, he couldn't stop as he felt his body froze. He tried to move but it was like stones.

She rose uneasily and turned her back from him and jumped down. The concrete cracked under the impact and Damien watched her painfully. He knew he wasn't honest to himself. He wanted her to smile with her heart.

At the same time, he felt hollow, as if a part of him had been taken away. He watched her until she was out of his sight and he felt the spell disappearing from his body. It was painful to him but he didn't know that Lea felt the same.

XXX

Lea entered a dingy bar. Her hands and legs felt like lead to her but she forced herself to move and slumped onto the table where all the drunken ones for the night slept. The barkeeper raised an eyebrow when he saw her but he kept quiet, merely rubbing the glass with a filthy cloth. He glanced at her weapons and noted her torn and dirty clothes she was wearing that indicated that she came from a battle recently. What took her to reach Kerning City used to be mere minutes was an hour.

_'Perhaps an hour or so', the barkeeper thought._

Which was not far from the truth. Lea raised her head with some effort and whispered so softly that the barkeeper had to lean closer to hear. When she finally manage to order her drinks, a Shandy can, he immediately slid the can towards her and it halted just in front of her.

"250 mesos please." he informed her and he watched her taking out her wallet and took out 500 mesos which made his jaw drop. He thought he's going to change until she held out her hand to stop him and shaking her head. He nodded curtly at her and gave a nod of thanks.

"Keep the change. Thanks for the drink." she said painfully. She took the can and pop it open. Waiting for the sizzling gas to stop, she stood up and left the bar. She took a sip outside and shuddered but it work as she was now wide awake. She could feel the alcohol working, dulling her senses to human-level.

The street lamps along the path were switched on from now until 6 in the morning. Many thieves training under the Dark Lord were in the shadows of the alley, some waiting for someone or…_something_. They heard the collapsed boy in the court and they had their orders to patrol around but so far, they haven't seen anything much less something or hear something else other than their hearts beating and the breathing of their allies and themselves. The citizens of Kerning City are living in fear.

She needed rest. Desperately but she forced herself awake, very aware that this will be her doom if she doesn't do something about it. The drink worked but it was only temporary and she knew this. Her hands, shaking from exhaustion, took the hilt of 'Lisbeth' and drew it out.

The Underground is making their move by using one step to bring _all_ beings down.

Lea knew little of them, only heard from her father's story of his youth, back when he was his greatest. The Underground is one organization, hidden from the surface. They are at their strongest in the darkest day but weakest in the day of a full moon.

But in the day of the equinox, they strike. They used to be thwarted by only a mere man and woman, who were once an enemy to each other decided to make a truce. Both sides, their family are strong and still alive.

What Lea found odd is that it wasn't equinox yet since it was only 27th February. Not even close to equinox yet. When she couldn't keep it up any longer, she dragged her sword towards Sam's home. It took a few painful seconds for the door to open and Sam peeked out and recognized her friend before unlatching the chain and let her in. She swore once when she saw Lea's clothes and face. Quickly, she guided her friend towards the leather sofa and helped her sheath her sword and took the string off and lay the swords aside.

She quietly close the wooden door and put the chain back to it's place. She frowned at Lea who look peaceful and squinted at her clothes with a disapproving look on her face.

She had some clothes to spare and later, she will give it to them.

XXX

Dual paced around impatiently, couldn't shake the feeling that something is going on in Kerning City. He was back at the airship, by night. He was starving but he doesn't want to eat, yet.

"Come on!" the boy Aran said to his counterpart. "Don't you want to find _her_?"

She bit her lips. "No. She can take care of herself." She lowered her voice, "Erika said my drawings and _her_ drawings are the key to what we are facing. I had a bad feeling about this. What if – there is a third side of war?"

He tilted his head. "Third side?" he said with disbelief and a mocking expression on his face. "I don't think so, Miss, L-"

"Think about it. That time, when we were doing our recon mission – we caught a glimpse of something right? Something inhuman."

Her counterpart's eyes looked distant until he remembered and his expression, horrified. "You mean that? Pfffft…that's impossible. I mean, it could have been us right? We were-"

"You know darn well what I meant." she said quietly. She stood up. "I'm going back to my room. Dual. If you have something in your mind. You better voice it out." With that, she left the room with a bad feeling.

They won't know until the next day, when they had an urgent call from Rein.

XXX

Luminous was checking the calendar with a frown on his face. It was already 1 a.m.

It was almost White Day but sadly, there were few of them left. Safe for the one who was still alive and kicking and another who was at Lania's home. A spirit nonetheless which, Luminous decided, counted at least for something.

Three weeks, he noted. He let out a long yawn. He was ready for a siesta.

Dragging his feet, he finally reached the door to his room and pushed it open. He just threw himself to the bed, with his face on the pillow and snoring.

XXX

**The following morning**

It took five people to wake one person (a.k.a) the duo Aran. They both still continue to sleep despite Phantom snatched the blankets away. Mercedes's yelling help them too while Luminous was tapping his foot impatiently. Baru shook them gently and slowly harder. Dual tried to pull them but they wouldn't budge and he tried tugging their legs.

It was until Phantom took a horn and blew it at their ears woke them up. First is the girl then the boy.

"What?" the girl Aran grumbled. "It's not like it's anything special." She went back to sleep. The five people sighed in unison.

"MAU!" Dual reminded her and this time, he got her attention. She immediately scrambled out, giving Luminous a peck at his cheek and rushed out to the bathroom before coming back, taking her Rien's clothing with her.

The boy took a little longer than the girl as he just slept without his pillow (which Dual had taken), one arm dangling from the edge of the bed. Also poise that he was close to falling. Ironically, it was the boy himself solved their problems.

With an almighty crash, and a pounding pain on his head, he woke up, his eyes widen with shock.

"What? Where? Huh?" he spluttered out the words as he get back up. He felt confused and yet they were all looking at him as if expecting him to do a monkey dance or whatever they were thinking.

"Um…is something happening here?" he asked which earned him an amuse look from Dual, his red eyes sparkling.

"Nah. We just decided to wake you up ya' know." Dual said it a bit too cheerfully but his eyes betray his words as they harden like stones as he glare at him.

The boy Aran decided to tread this carefully.

"Just wait at the meeting room in ten minutes." Phantom informed him before he went to the living room which is unofficially their meeting room. Dual followed Phantom before the other two shrugged and left Baru and the boy Aran alone. They gave each other a knuckle bump and they left the room, in the other direction where the quartet were going.

XXX

**At the same time**

Lea was eating her typical breakfast. Eggs and bacons. With a good night rest, she felt refreshed. Except, for a shower which she haven't taken yet. Sam was watching her eating, her eating habits never ceased to amaze Sam.

Lea concentrated on her soul and felt that it was healing and realized that Talos was right. She needed sleep if she wanted to heal fully. She made a mental note to herself to sleep more and made it her first priority.

Damn. If her mom was here, she would have chided her and stuff about slacking off.

"So…" Sam began, breaking the silence. "What are you doing here?"

Lea wiped her mouth with a tissue paper and looked at her evenly.

"I wanted to investigate more and lose my tracker but it seems that it hasn't work…well." She turned away from her gaze, looking sad and a bit lonely. "I don't want to over-"

"You can stay here if you like, Lea. As long as it takes." Sam immediately answered.

Lea protested but she was silence by Sam who wasn't going to take no for an answer. Lea sighed.

It's gonna be a long day.

"I've got some spare clothes if you like, Lea. You can wear them until you've some new clothes." Sam said. "It's near the bathroom. Go left and you will see the bathroom and a towel inside." Lea snorted.

"Who doesn't?" Lea answered sarcastically. "I've to go. To Ereve."

Sam shook her head.

"Who doesn't?" Sam mimicked Lea's voice as she proceeded to the kitchen. Her house was like a rundown warehouse except for the fact that someone is occupying it. Except for the fact it has it's own facilities like bathroom, kitchen and two rooms, which she hastily made it. The room they were in now was actually the living room. The only place where it indicated it is occupied and the owner is here.

Lea scrubbed, wash and clean herself as best as she could. But she couldn't resist using the body shower. She felt that her senses heighten more than usual and knew that her dragon abilities are back. She put on Sam's old clothes which is a shirt with hoodie and jeans which was a little too long. She rolled the hem of the jeans up.

Talos chuckled. He was so gonna make her surprise.

He concentrated on her hair which was extremely wet and messy. And last but not least, longer than usual. He waited for her to be in the toilet again before trimming it. Just over the shoulder to tie into a ponytail.

Lea felt funny when her head doesn't feel a bit heavy and looked down to see her long hair was surrounding her.

"TALOS!" she yelled. Talos did an inward wince.

_"Yes?" he said innocently. "I'm merely um…beautifying you."_

_She scowled at Talos. "Whatever. But thanks." Lea said sarcastically. _

Within an hour, she was ready to go. Sam was getting ready to train but when she saw Lea leaving, she decided to follow her after a few words.

Lea smiled.

"Deal."

They both shook hands and it took another hour just to arrive at the Six Path Crossway. They climbed up using the strong ropes which were hung there for this purpose. Lea had a feeling that they were going to find out something important soon.

* * *

**A/N: =.=" I think you know what's going on already. A bit of hint here and there. I forgot to mention the next chapter contains little details about White Day and more about the Underground and Maha since I decided to leave the White Day alone for a while. R & R please. Thank you.**


	25. Chapter 25 Problems Part 2

**A/N: Sorry for the late update. T.T I was too busy studying and during my free time I was writing another story (in school of course) so that I may publish the first chapter after 8th or 9th of October. Please R&R, thanks~!**

* * *

**Aran's Dream**

_She stood at the bare ground, watching Maha struggled desperately. Now half-sunk into the mud. She offered her hand and Maha took it. They both barely survived the ordeal when Maha was finally out. A gleaming jewel in his hands. _

_"This is merely a dream." Aran chided herself. Her dream shifted. Once again, she found herself in a place where no light can be seen. She panicked before hearing a familiar voice which calmed her down._

_"Again? Child, this is dangerous. You must escape me. The darker me." the familiar voice said with a hint of ignorance. _

_"Luxio?" she asked. There was no response. A sigh._

_"Stellar, my dear child. Be warned. A harsh decision will be made one day and you will not be able to take it."_

_"I'm not your child." Aran retorted. She immediately regretted it and braced herself for a punishment but nothing happen. Luxio sighed._

_"You may not be my child – but you are my only hope." Aran opened her mouth to ask more questions which was unanswered for a long time. But before she could, she felt herself being dragged away by an unknown hand. She yelled in surprise and struggled but it was useless._

XXX

**Reality**

Aran opened her eyes. She found herself, her back against one of the railings in Lumiere, her legs sprawled. She scrambled up. For a moment, she could not remember anything at all. Then, she remembered. She was on her way to Ereve. She realized that she just took a nap which was dangerous considering she was almost a one way trip to death. She could have sworn that Luminous was sniggering over something and turned.

Wolfie was playing dead. The girl Aran whistle and Wolfie got up but not for long, she started playing dead again as Phantom did a finger gun and said, "Bang!"

Wolfie did a dramatic playing dead as she whined as she slid down on the floor and went silent.

She smiled sweetly and covered her mouth, trying to stop the laughter trying to break through. At the last moment, Wolfie stood up and looked at her indignantly before saying, "Got a problem?"

"No." she replied before started laughing real loud. Phantom managed a small smile.

Later at Ereve, she elbowed Phantom before whispering, "Didn't know you taught her tricks." Phantom rolled his eyes.

"I'm a Master Thief. How could I not teach _wolves_ tricks?" Phantom chuckled. Behind his back, Luminous snorted. "Obviously-"

But Phantom had already went ahead.

XXX

When they were reaching the station, Lea pulled the hood up and exhaled, not realizing she was holding her breath for so long. When she do, Sam was shaking her head, looking at the ship and the Piyo who looked grumpy thanks to the customers who were demanding his attention. Lea sighed and hung back.

She was reluctant because she knew she a certain _someone_ is still hot on her trail. She knew she must get rid and subconsciously, she touched the scar at her cheek. Personally by The Black Mage.

Her nerves tingled a bit and she shot Chrome a look that said: _Wait here._

Somehow, she knew where to go although she rarely take flying ships to other continents such as Orbis itself. Since, she normally use Phantom's airship. Sometimes, after knowing Vikko, she would called him for help and they would take flight.

Perhaps she could call him now but it hurt. Hurt, knowing that it was risky.

Despite the ropes and ladders, she did not use it, merely climbing as fast as possible.

"Yikes!" she cried out as she stumbled. She was putting most of her weight at one hand and fortunately, she found another foothold and managed to slipped her right leg in without wasting any time. She took a deep breath and looked down.

She could see the bottom of the ground and she gulped. It looked far and for a person who can't fly, it would a very fatal fall.

"Ah, screw this shit." she cussed before whistling twice for Vikko. As an air dragon, he could travel fast as long as there was air. It didn't take long for him to arrive. She let herself fall and felt Vikko caught her with his back and immediately, she turned around and secure herself before they swoop down and Lea snatched Sam into the air with Vikko chuckling.

"Do you have anything to declare?" Lea asked, knowing the answer.

"Yes," Sam said sulkily. "I hate you."

XXX

A sandy brown hair girl, walked towards a ship, which led to Ereve. She was invited to be one of them and was surprise when she received a letter from her mailbox. She pulled her forearms gloves further in to prevent anybody from seeing it. She held no weapons since she doesn't own one as she _make _one from the light. All she needed is the ring at her middle finger. She had a pair of it, but one was missing for a long time.

_'Maybe I can search for it...' she mused. 'What do you think, Luminate?'_

_'I can make one for you. Using my scales.' Luminate answered. _She did not answer, only merely retying the red cloth, covering her eyes tightly and even though she couldn't see from outside the cloth. She can sense the magic in the air and smirked at herself. But from the north side, when Rien stood, felt cold and surprisingly dangerous. Danger was approaching Rien.

She clenched her fists, knowing she couldn't do anything to stop it. She tugged her collar and begin embarking the ship leading to Ereve.

XXX

At the same time, Lea glanced at the direction where the Heroes were and shrugged it off. As if this was going to ruin her day. She glanced around and felt at least a few stares at her. Okay, maybe not to little but a lot. Most of them were looking at her swords which was unique. Its scabbard was glinting at her back. She gritted her teeth in frustration.

This was getting nowhere.

She jumped from pillar to pillar, white lights sparkling like stars surrounded her feet as she did so. Sam did her best to catch up with her, pushing through the crowd. At the same time, the girl's Aran senses tingled. She felt herself being pulled by someone except it's more of a reminder.

_'Could it be?...' she thought, turning to Lea's direction. 'Yeap. It's her.'_ She patted Wolfie who had detected Lea with her scent.

She whistled for Wolfie and whispered an order to her ear. Wolfie became alert, her throat bristling, preparing for a fierce growl. Ven was alert, he can sense another power from their opposite direction. But it was gone when he tried to find it.

Lea climbed up a tree, as high as she could and surveyed the whole thing at the hall.

It was a mess. People, reporters and members of Alliance, struggling to get through the wide space which led to the Conference Room. She tutted.

Cygnus wasn't around anywhere and Lea's eyes narrowed. She could see every detail about their clothes and their thoughts, most of them nervous and some, hungering for information. Especially the reporters.

She heard a wolf growl and froze. She lost her grip on the tree branch and fell. She barely had time to grab another branch when she was close to dying. Her heart pumping, and her eyes wide with fear.

"I'm never going to do that again." she swore softly to herself. She heard steps coming towards her and quickly scampered up as a familiar wolf came scratching at the bark of the tree. It yipped and howled with another girl following the wolf.

Scratching it's ears, she looked up and grinned. "Give it up Lea. WE can sense you, ya'know."

Lea sighed. "Yeah. Yeah. So what? It's not like it's going to start soon at all."

"Good point. Let's spar." Aran suggested innocently. Lea raised her eyebrows.

"You're on."

XXX

The sandy haired girl could see the endless sky and the blue sea underneath as she lean against the sky boat. She relaxed for a moment and when she opened them, she could see an island getting closer to her. She felt a bump as they descended and thanked the Piyo for giving her a ride and climbed down the stairs, wary of her surroundings. Despite the greenery, she felt uneasy compared to her short trip. She sighed.

The wind flapped the red cloth and she could detect some dark mana traces in the air and frowned. She decided to give the _others_ a surprise entrance.

She smiled as she finally reach the hall and found two girls sparring with each other. Each of them equally skill in their own weapon they wield. She watched them then slowly, with the rings at her fingers at the middle, she shaped a weapon out of it. Finally when she was done, she took a careful aim, just to make sure she doesn't hit them accidentally.

_'You better tell the ones I told you the message.' Luminate reminded her. _The girl shrugged it off.

"I know." she whispered. She released at least two shots and paused, wondering what would their reactions as she let the arrows fly. The arrows which were made from light.

XXX

Lea was taken by surprise as she barely dodged two arrows which impaled themselves onto one of the pillars surrounding. Narrowly missing her by a breath. It was flat, spectators were already gathering and reporters alike.

Immediately she tense and screamed, "DUCK!" before she jumped down as a high speed arrow, which was white as the clouds was shot in her direction. She gritted her teeth.

She also said a word that would _definitely _win her an award for being the most creative cussing ever made in the Maple World. By some miracle, throughout the sparring session with Aran, her hood remained in position. She knew that her identity was protected by the moment and switched her grip by throwing it into the air and the sword points were backwards much to Aran's surprise.

XXX

Dual immediately ran towards Lea's direction. He also sensed another presence somewhere but it was faint. But as he got closer, he can sense it better. He looked at Lea, her face mostly in the shadow. Only her mouth was visible. Dual pulled her hood down and look at her curiously. Her hair was cut and wasn't tied at all. Lea stomp him at the leg. He yelped.

"I guess it's another event huh?" Dual said meekly, his toes throbbing. She shrugged.

"Aran, I think you better um…sneak into the Conference Room. We will meet up at there and exchange stories." Lea said pensively and softly as possible, her shoulders tensed. She was eying on the arrow which somebody had shot but all of them knew, deep down, it wasn't any ordinary arrow nor it's an arrow like Mercedes. It was purer, stronger purity and it speak about light and hope.

Aran shook her head and opened her mouth to protest but Dual cut her off with a wave of his hand and stared at the direction where it was shot. She decided not to argue as she reluctantly left them alone, knowing that it was _something_ that does not involve her in any way. People were already looking at their direction, curious what the Legend as they nicknamed them, doing with the duo who hung back, looking unexpectedly at the curious bystanders and reporters alike.

Some of them did a double take when they saw Lea with her hair down as she looked strikingly familiar to another popular celebrity – who publicly said that she would not be back and was officially in hiatus. Most of them already guess that's because she is making new songs. In one way they were wrong. They had no idea that Yui Hosikawa was the same person they were seeing now.

The reporters finally lost interest on them and started shooting questions at the Legends who did not answer or said, "No comment." That made them impatient and their questions were now rapid fire.

Lea and Dual had their back at the trunk of the tree, their eyes taking over the crowd, each of them, trying to pick who or what had shot the arrow. Lea unhitched herself from the trunk and glanced at Neinheart and the Cygnus Knights along with some Piyos stood by, with their armours and spears in their hands, standing guard.

Lea pursed her lips. She was sure that it was somebody they do not know but in her gut, it said she knew but she couldn't put her finger on it. It was like a candle, being lit up and then blown by the wind, putting her into the darkness.

Finally, with their patience tested, Neinheart decided to shoo the reporters away who protest fiercely about their rights until Lea could no longer take it as she was there next to Neinheart in a flash who looked surprise to see her, or an unknown stranger who decided to butt in until Lea did a cross with her fingers at the back.

Neinheart frowned at her. The reporters were enchanted by her appearance and they started to ask each other questions which none of them could answer.

Lea grinned, making a shooting gesture with her hand and one eye close lazily. Like what the girl Aran would do if she had the answer but not willing to tell. The reporters were all pushed back, one by one their courage melted to their boots/shoes and put the distance between themselves from her.

She sighed. She felt utterly exhausted and wanted a rest. Neinheart saw her shoulder stooped. She could barely stand and she would have fallen face-first on the ground if she wasn't caught by Wolfie who was there suddenly. Wolfie grunted as her saddle got a thud and with the help of the Cygnus Knights, Lea was on the ground, looking bit green.

Her eyes twitched a little when she heard Phantom chuckled.

"It's actually you." He snorted before adding, "Let's see…This must be the first time for me to see you with that kind of hairstyle and…" He waved his hands dramatically. "What the hell did you just do earlier?!"

Mercedes gave him a warning look. Lea's expression darkened. She can tell that they recognized her and eyed on the girl Aran accusingly who gave her a confuse look.

She forced herself up but she was on one knee. She hated it. She hated being weak, while her nemesis was rising. She was very sure that they had little time _if_ they weren't lucky. A year or two _if_ they are lucky.

"Let's just get on with the meeting." she forced the words out. Despite the cooling breeze, she was already sweating at her temple.

"Wait." an unfamiliar voice called out. It was a girl, wearing green dress, her eyes deep blue. Her dress, fussed by ribbons and frills at the hem of her dress. Her sandy hair, with curls and a head band was on it, with more ribbons and her pink lips, pursed. Neinheart was surprised to see her and look uneasily at the reporters who were still curious about the girl but they dare not come forward for they fear Lea's power.

Immediately, Dual bowed. "Dear, Transcendence – you should be inside."

Aran raised her eyebrows. She regarded the Transcendence of Life warmly and smiled.

"Please. Continue." She was amused by Dual's sudden respect and Neinheart took this chance to ushered them inside, along with Lea.

Alice paused and watched Lea, getting up with the help of Dual and Baru. She looked at the sky and smirked.

"You can come out now." she said to someone in particular. "Oh, and...just keep your weapons, she's an ally." Alice added.

A girl around 13 years old appeared out of the light. She was blindfolded by a red silk cloth but her hair was sandy brown. Almost the same shade as Phantom's but in a darker shade. At her hands, Lea realized that it was no ordinary weapon. She saw her weapons seemed to flicker and went back to solid. Upon closer look, she could tell that it was magic and it seemed to be a special crossbow but it wasn't solid material. She missed one detail. It was the rings on the girl's middle finger with a jewel attached are the ones maintaining her type of magic.

The girl noticed her and managed a grin. "It's called Gramit." Lea thought she said "Granmit" but realized that it was not and looked politely puzzle.

Glancing around, she lowered her voice so that only the ones with sharp hearing could hear. It was so soft that Lea could barely catch her words as she muttered, "I will explain later."

Lea shrugged. She winced. Even a simple action seemed to cause her pain. She could barely stand now as she was sitting, cross legged on one of the glided chair around the round table where each of the leaders was sitting, waiting patiently for them.

She finally saw Jake as he entered with his usual sliver trim clothes. He nodded curtly once to her direction before starting a conversation with Wee Sheng, his best bud. She looked at the sky wistfully. Many of them noticed this action and starting to wonder why is she here if she's not willing to attend the meeting.

It took an hour to organize and when the meeting finally started, Lea had already fallen asleep. One arm behind her neck and her head on the table with her chin touching the surface of the table. Wolfie nudged her gently at the leg but Lea couldn't be bothered.

It was all useless to her. The words of the people, reporting in and out. She didn't hear her name until Neinheart had to shout at her which she rapped the table with her knees as she was startled. She blinked once and yawned.

"If, _you_ don't _pay attention_…I will _personally_ make su-" Neinheart began but he was cut off by Jake's casual flick of his hand.

"Give her a break. She barely had enough sleep. See?" Jake pointed. To prove his point, Lea's eyes were bloodshot and she couldn't stop yawning, making people around the room tempted to yawn too. She mouthed, "Thank you." to her older brother but he doesn't notice but give a nod of encouragement. But his eyes were cold. She had no idea what she had done to offend her brother but she had matters to deal with.

Hopefully, they will understand.

"Hey, does anyone hear the news in Kerning City?" she asked. Looking by their faces, she could tell they already knew about it and some of them were already looking at her incredulously.

The girl Aran's expression darkened.

Of course she knew, Lea chided herself. Who doesn't?

"Jake, I found some really odd footprint over there. It was right at the middle of the basketball court." she continued. Jake frowned at her information. "It was made recently too. Since you guys decided to _not_ go back there, I went there since – I sensed some dark aura. At first I thought it was _him _influcing the area but I didn't have time since I was attack by a new commander." Muffled gasp could be heard especially from those who didn't know. Lea shook her head sadly, she suddenly could not continue as the memory of Damien's face and the way he care for her lingered in her memory.

She went silent.

"Well…is that all?" Neinheart prompted. Lea shot him an evil look that would have made her mother proud. Lea hesitated for a moment but it was enough for Neinheart for him to get a gist of her problem and let it slide.

Lea felt her head pound badly. She so badly wanted to sleep and the headache just have to come out of the blue. "I'm not really sure but…" She shrugged. "It's like a chicken hybrid with one leg and a size of a…Blue Dragon Turtle footprint."

This time, she had their full attention. Neinheart leaned forward with a frown on his face. He could not believe what he was hearing. It was outrageous.

"I also hope that you have deal with the Mystic Gates problem." Lea's eyes flashed with dark humor. Neinheart forced a grim smile.

"We're working on it." Lea waved his statement aside with her hand and glanced at the sky again.

Once again, she looked at it wistfully. Like she wanted to fly in the sky, free from her worries and problems. Anywhere than on the ground, restless, force to rest as necessary.

Alice sensed her frustration.

"Balancers…and who are you may I ask?" He said as he gave Lea and Dual a questioning look before gazing at the girl who crashed their meeting. She grinned before bowing her head.

"Forgive me for not introducing myself. Unfortunately, I have a message to deliver, personally." The girl replied with remorse and a hint of impatience. Lea perked up.

"Message?" both Lea and the girl Aran asked suspiciously with a hint of doubt in their eyes. The girl nodded.

"It's best if the twosome went to Rien. _Now_." Immediately, the two Arans' sense of foreboding deepened. Lea noticed but she could not do anything about it. She no longer has the strength to do it. She wanted to sleep. Sleep soundly and wake up from the nightmare.

As if on cue, a messenger came towards them with a letter in his hands. Neinheart snatched it and tore it open. He read it twice before slumping into his chair, his expression horrified and the two Arans rushed to Rien, with that unbearable thought they both share with Maha.

She clutched her forearm on her right. Her dragon mark was glowing and this time, it showed clearly and imprinted itself on the cloth which she purposely use to hide it.

"Talos." she said through her gritted teeth, showing her sharp fangs and unnerving the people around her. Jake was there patting her head.

"Lea…can we talk?" Jake asked unexpectedly. Lea raised her eyebrows and with difficulties, pushed herself up and staggered towards Jake who was a few meters away from the members of the meeting with watchful eyes of Chrome behind her back.

"Lea. Did you lie to me that Balancers can live for a 1000 years?" he asked. It was expected. Lea nodded.

"That is. If you don't die." she answered rudely, glancing at Cygnus, who was looking down at her hands with that sad look on her face before turning towards Shinsoo whose eyes were looking at the two of them. Old and with a hint of sadness.

She made a shooing gesture at Chrome as the Heroes had already left. Except for Evan who haven't arrive. Yet. He had left Lumiere as soon as he have recover as he wanted to hone his skills. After consulting the girl Aran who nodded reluctantly as he ask a specific question. Time and Space.

Chrome shook her head vigorously but Lea already set her jaw and a glare at Chrome without any mercy. Jake wasn't convinced.

"This is serious."

"I know it's serious!" she shouted. "What do you want me to say, _huh_? That I'm dying? That my blood is poisonous? That you-" Jake shook his head. But he already sense urgency at the first word, _dying_.

He put his hands on her shoulder and she shut up.

"I can tell you're dying. The process has started already, hasn't it?" Lea was stunned. But deep down, she knew that she couldn't hide anything from her elder brother. She bow her head, clenching her hands into a fist, her nails digging to her palms.

"How much time left?" Jake asked, shaking her gently. But she did not answer. She turned away, anything just to avoid contact with his eyes.

"Dying?" Crow exclaimed. They both jump, as they did not notice Crow had arrive and Lea sniggered. He just look like when he was five. Lea tried to kill the smile but Crow's expression darkened. Most of them had left except for Neinheart who was badly shaken and the Cygnus Knights who were trying to calm him down while Empress Cygnus was talking to the new girl and Dual, who looked at the new girl with suspicion.

"Doesn't mean," He began. "I look like a god-damn 5 year old…." He stuck his hands in the pocket and faced Lea at the eyes. "I'M A FU-" Lea snapped her fingers and immediately Crow winced as he bit his tongue and was doing his big eye thing at Jake.

"MMPHMMMPH!" Crow said as best as he could.

"How long and is there a cure for it?" Jake translated. Lea was wondering how he get those words from that 'mmphing' thing. She reluctantly nodded and immediately Jake was barraging her with questions like items but he doesn't understand.

She do not need object. Merely a free will. Not just any free will. Unwavering one. The one who is willing to suffer fate worse than death. The one who is willing to follow her, until the end of time. Her life.

She felt sick. To make matters worse, she heard a voice whispering in her head, all too familiar.

_'You can't escape from me…' The Black Mage's voice hissed. 'You know very well and the doors are always open…to you of course.' He laughed and finally his voice dimmed in her head. _

Lea winced and felt the pain in her body. Talos immediately came out and snarled at the sky.

"Curse you. Luxio, the Transcendence of Dark." he muttered furiously with Alice looking alarm but at the same time, she was reminded of the darkest time of the Transcendences and Balancers alike.

"Crow…" he whispered. "Deal with the Underground. Get any information you can. Anything. And please…..don't take this burden yourself."

"Forget it. There's almost nothing about them. I have turn every stone and nothing. Even the _normal_ ones couldn't give me any of it. All I know the name is Luna and Drake. Our parents. Have fought them together and that's what ended the rivalry between the demons and dragon slayers." He looked apologetically at Talos. But he was too angry at The Black Mage to listen and only when Alice came, his attention was back at her, his eyes, harden with anger and cold. Then, he looked at his host and nudge her gently with his snout. She patted him and Talos crooned.

"C'mon. I mean. I'm no longer a little kid ya'know." she mumbled, her hands in the pockets. Her brothers looked at her like she's a brat. Waving her arms in from of them, she called sarcastically, "Dudes. If I had a choice, I will screw you guys like what _I_ always _do_ with _certain idiots_." she said those words with menace and venom. Crow gulped. He haven't forgotten the unfortunate _incident_ (not his fault) at the Resistance HQ.

"Can we just call the hack-" Lea silenced Jake with a glare and shook her head.

"Not an option. They're all over the net. You can tell, can you?" She directed the question to Jake who reluctantly nod. They still haven't have a faintest idea who the Underground are or is or it.

"Still…" Lea said as she glanced at Dual and the new girl with a frown on her face. "We still had no idea who is she. But the weird thing. She's. Freaking. Familiar." Under Jake's confuse look and Crow's finger, she added, "Seriously."

"As for the cure." Jake looked surprise and stared at her sister who had reached the back of her hoodie to pull it up. "A free will." she continued without any humor and with darker tone. With that, she heard Talos speak his mind.

_'Lea. I…I…'_

_'Save it.' Lea snapped._ She knew it was unfair but she was already tired. Tired of the things around her. Tired of being left out. Tired of being targeted and most of all. Tired of not knowing how or why things happen around her.

She wanted to be a normal girl but seeing the situation right now, she knew that's no longer an option. Her life was already like this from the start.

She took little comfort from the familiar weight of her swords. They seemed insignificant against the wheel of fate. She knew that they have only a year of a month if they are unlucky. She could sense The Black Mage's conscious, returning but slowly.

But she also knew that her time will come. Maybe a decade or more, assuming her dark mana didn't skyrocket.

Closing her eyes, she could feel the darkness that threatened to consume her. What kept them at bay was the 'spirit link' which she share with the girl Aran. But she could tell, without it, she would never survive the curse of The Black Mage.

She knew that the girl Aran and her are in a different world. She's stuck with her personal battle with Maha and while, she herself, the proud bearer of the title 'The Child Of Twilight', was weak. But what made her different from the others were her dragon and power.

"Who am I?" she whispered the words again and again to herself. Unknown to her, Lucy can feel her emotions, even if they aren't close. Lucy had her head down as Alice finally explained Dual who is she.

XXX

The two Arans ran like they never had before. Their leg's muscles protest but they forced it, not caring about their health but more of the spirit of the pole arm, Maha.

The two Arans forced their way through the waddle of penguins. Lilin was there, looking pale and trembling.

"Look." Lilin replied, despite her control over her voice, she quavered.

The girl reached first and tried to touch it but immediately, red sparks came out of it, preventing her from touching it. She flinched as the first spark touched her.

She drew her hand away, nursing her fingers. The two Aran backed away. Normally, they would see Maha by the side of the pole arm, muttering or complaining but the place where he once stood was empty.

The girl Aran examined the mark which was carved there. It reminded her of something she had seen once on the golden snake. A demon mark.

That's when she felt something was wrong.

"Out." She ordered Lilin, pointing her finger towards the library with a serious expression on her face. Her aura even changed drastically as she threw a stone experimentally at the huge pole arm which was stuck in the ice for centuries.

The boy Aran shook his head and looked critically at the pole arm then back to the mark. Scratching his chin, the duo exchanged a glance and had a silent agreement.

It was unusual for this to happen to them since they first woke up.

"Should we tell them?" he asked quietly. His counterpart shook her head.

"No. Our problem. Not theirs. And in case you haven't heard what I said, no no no no." she replied calmly and her counterpart chuckled.

"Most probably he's sulking." he stated.

"If he's sulking, wouldn't he be annoying as bitch?" she interjected. "Besides, that new girl wasn't kidding. Our dreams were true. I dreamt about sinking into a mud, pulling Maha out."

"I dreamt about hitting Maha at the head, convincing him _we _don't abandon him for some other weapon." They both heaved a long sigh.

"Maha is sooo childish." The duo said in unison and another sigh.

She whistled twice and Kau landed on her arm which had hard leather wrapped around it. Even with the hard leather, she couldn't help but wince at the pain of the sharp claws digging to her skin. Kau cooed once and looked at them both. As if expecting her to do something ridiculous and wild.

"Nat." the girl Aran merely said and Kau spread her wings and flew off, but patrolling just around Rien. The duo Aran have a feeling that they were being watch. With a glance, they head towards a more secluded place and the girl Aran swung her pole arm just in time to block a sword with the butt of her pole arm. Only the pros could do it and no amount of training could achieve this.

From the skies, Kau had noticed that her master was fighting with a stranger and screeched once. She swiftly returned to the deck of the airship, Lumiere with a pursuit behind her. A brown hawk, looking somehow devilish with it's bright red wings, red as blood and it's eyes, feline but yet...unusual. No birds ever had that eye colour in this world and Kau was almost taken down on it's first try as it's sharp talons almost took half her right wing away if she had not dodged it. She felt time slowing down around her and realized that something was wrong.

Very wrong.

The creature screeched in triumph as it injured Kau by her wings, bad enough to make her lose her speed and she plunged onto the ground, with the creature watching her carefully for any movements that indicated that she is alive. It's orders were to take this insignificant yet, potentially dangerous bird down. But Kau was silent, unmoving except for the blood trickled down to the snow.

Satisfied that it was dead, it dissipated into the thin air. No sign had ever exist and somewhere, in the ocean, Maha's spirit was trapped in ice with the red jewel.


	26. Chapter 26 Problems Part 3

Lea's eyes were shut. She could hear every word, every comment about her. She knew it wasn't long that The Black Mage will find her. It was a race to see who will recover fast. She glanced at Talos who was at the sky, making a circle around it like a shining ray of light. She stretched for a moment or two before feeling extremely comfortable.

She yawned. This time, Talos dived and went back to her body, leaving only a mark on her forearm. At the same time, Dual was slashing the air, with a frown on his face, wondering why he couldn't detect Lea despite her dark mana from the first time he manifest with Leviathan. He is still in progress since it normally take a year or so to finish since he started late compared to Lea who was familiar with all three dragons and understood them personally. But now, she no longer understand Order and Chaos who were free since that particular sparring with Damien with her weaken state.

But she knew they were looking for two children. Both from the Casterwill family. They were siblings, like her and her brothers.

"May I?" a voice familiar to her asked Lea's permission as the person gestured at her left. Lea nodded, avoiding any eye contact with any of her friends, even the Transcendence herself since she was afraid that she may kill the Transcendence. The person sat beside her, reaching out to her hand and was just inches away but stopped. Lea appreciated the gesture.

"Lea. Close your eyes. Don't resist." the voice said again. Lea resisted, not obeying. "Please..." the voice begged her and she reluctantly obey. This time, her mental guard went down and the person who sat beside her was in her mind, skimming the surface of her thoughts. The person had a bit of shock since she could see some blank, as if missing memories. But most importantly, the person could see a dark splotched, like a black ink and negative thoughts in it. But it was only a dot, the person knew that it would eventually spread and corrupt her whole mind and soul.

Lea did not resist, semi-conscious, she felt hollow inside, like someone had decide to scoop part of her soul. That made her panic and resist.

The person immediately step away from her thoughts like avoiding an object.

"Lea...please...don't panic. I will help you." the voice said. Finally, Lea looked at the person on her left and found it was the same girl who crashed (unlikely) crash into the meeting. She growled fiercely, indicating that she doesn't like it.

"I'm Lucy...Nightwalker." Lea perked up at the word 'Nightwalker'. "Calm down, I'd say I will help. Please. There's not much for me to do. I'm new and I need your guidance."

"Why do you need _my_ guidance?" Lea said coldly. She didn't mean to hurt Lucy but judging from her calm expression, she wasn't that offended. Lucy smiled.

"Because. You have more experience than I do. Luminate may be one of the Legendary Dragon but you are still an expert in terms of Balancing. Besides, you _did_ achieve Equilibrium. The first one to last for so long and the power of light within you is just waiting to be unlock. You're just not pushing yourself to do it."

"Maybe I just can't." Lea snapped. She put her head in her hands. Lucy gave up and went to Alice who was watching them.

"Any luck?" Alice asked quietly. Lucy shook her head.

"His influence is too great."

Alice observed Lea carefully and found her shaking. No, shivering. Alice decided to head back to her room while Neinheart is still trying to finish the overloading paperwork at his desk and the Cygnus Knights aren't helping with matters as new recruits were making a mess.

XXX

**Rien**

The two Arans deflected another attack. Gasping, the girl Aran clutched her bruised rib. The stranger had a lucky hit as she was too slow to guard her abdomen. In a wrong footing, the stranger had another lucky shot at her right. Her right arm, was in an unnatural angle. Finally, she kicked the snow at her left and managed to blind the stranger momentary.

Her counterpart took the opening but the stranger recovered to fast. He had a thick cloak and wore a sleeveless shirt, an eyepatch on his left with the very same mark left on where Maha, his spirit, stood. His weapon was a great sword. But his face was hidden by the hooded cloak.

But then, he grinned after minutes what seemed like hours to the duo.

"Too late. You won't be able to save your weapon anymore." The strangled chuckled cruelly and the girl Aran snapped back at him but his eye on the right gleamed in the dark and the girl Aran glimpsed his mind and found herself next to a young boy, no older than four years old, weeping at the ruin house.

Then, she felt a burning pain at her right eye and the vision was gone. The throbbing pain at her rib and right arm brought her back to reality. That's when she knew, just a piece of his past and swung her pole arm with difficulty since it need two arms to do the job and nicked a rib or two at the stranger. He retreated as soon as possible since he knew _it _was done. As he did so, he was reminded painfully of Lea and the little girl he met ten years ago.

XXX

Kau feebly open her eyes as she felt something warm touching her. She tried to move an was rewarded with a sharp pain her wings, both splinted and bandaged. She tried to move but only to stumble and fell beak-first if the person had not caught her with their hands. Despite this, Kau knew that it wasn't suppose to be alive. Her vision was still blurry.

She crooed but it sounded like a croak. There was a cup of water in front of her and she struggled to drink it but could not. It was painful. Painful not being able to drink, painful not be able to move without causing pain to her own body. When she managed to drink thanks to the stranger's help, she bumped her head gently towards to the stranger's hand. She realized it was furry and ticklish to her.

But it was gentle. Finally, she slept, dreaming of her mistress and the first time she met them.

XXX

The girl Aran painfully walked, her right arm, splinted with a piece of stiff wood and bandage to hold it together. Her pole arm, with her counterpart, who was struggling to carry two heavyweights weapon. Her left hand, over her bruised ribs, wincing with every movement. Eventually, they were forced to stop and take a breather. Besides, the girl Aran's wound needed medical treatment. Especially her arm, which was going raw red to blue black. The scar on her right shoulder showed clearly under the sunset which made her counterpart's eyebrows raised.

She winced at the sudden pain at her shoulder and finally passed out thanks to the excruciating pain from her shoulder. Her counterpart panicked and tried to wake her up but she wouldn't budge at all, leaving her counterpart all the work and he knew there was a snowstorm coming and whistled twice before wolves came out from the shadows as the night falls.

"Guard her." the boy Aran intoned and the wolves howled and obeyed as they made a circle around them. For once, the boy Aran was glad to have the blessings of wolves. It allows the wolves to lend their aid to him and wolves are well known for respect in a pack and loyalty, along with their stealth and fierceness. He knew there was no choice but to wait for help.

He pondered over what the stranger who attacked them earlier, his words sent shivered to his spine.

XXX

**Lumiere**

Phantom recently found Aria's diary, acquired by Aran herself and with the help of Luminous, whom he grudgingly help under his girlfriend's favor, he managed to help unseal the diary and the secrets within it. Phantom read. He read but there were many blank pages and he was puzzled. There were some names, mostly unfamiliar to her like _Quartermaster Cecil _and _Aran's father_. But he missed one name.

Murukou Stellar.

He read a sentence which caught his attention. Then, he read it from the beginning.

_'Dear Diary,_

_I finally found Aran but she have change. She was no longer the girl I used to know. She used to be very cheerful but now she looked distant. Sometimes I wonder if she were a living ghost but I doubt that. She haven't told me about what happen to her for the past two years. Two years...and she had change. Her eyes, were no longer sparkling sometimes even when I cracked a joke. I felt horrible. I tried to push her to tell me but she was tight lip. I wonder if this is the end of our friendship?'_

He flipped to another page. This time, there was only one symbol. A royal symbol for Aria's family. Phantom raised his eyebrows and this time, he snapped it shut. It was already half past eight as he checked the clock. Gaston would be pissed off if he was slacking since he ditched his training for the day. But when Luminous barged him, he quickly flipped to a random page and acted as if he were reading since the beginning.

"What's that?" Luminous asked curiously, his hands itching for it. Phantom scowled at him.

"Nothing, Mr All-Idiot-Magical." He retorted and Luminous's vein twitched. They both glared each other and Luminous turned away, bit his lips to prevent himself from saying bad things. But Luminous started to think on how the two Arans were faring and could not sleep since he had a feeling that they were in trouble.

XXX

_'Dear Diary,_

_It was a week since I took Aran to her parents' grave. I thought she would weep but instead, her expression harden but her eyes betrayed her. They were filled with pain. Even though I visit the village of Rolu frequently, the friends she made there are really nice. The tutor, surprisingly is an old woman. A distant relative of Aran – that she doesn't know. I knew that her mother had been one of the villagers here. But she did not become a pole arm master. I still don't understand the reason why.  
_

_Funny how Aran is oblivious to these things. Sadly, The Black Mage is still looking for her. I tried to maintain a truce, keeping Aran's name from mentioning. It worked but I wonder how long it will last. I doubt there will be much time for me to make a decision. Not only that, the thievery from all around the world is getting out of hand. I tried not to spread my forces thin but it was useless. Oops. One of her friends, striking same hair colour hair with her stared at me. I wish that Aran would get well soon...I need her...'  
_

Phantom nodded off, after reading what seemed to be the last entry of the month of June. The diary was on his head and he breathed heavily in his room. It was already midnight, and Gaston sneaked inside and heard Phantom's muffled snores and off the lights for him. Closing the door silently behind him, he too, as a butler, was already getting ready for the training for the Heroes for the next morning.

XXX

**Rien**

The boy Aran kept a fire going. Wolves gathered broken branches for him but it was hard to keep it going. It may be midnight but he was still unsure who or what is trying to do. But the more he thought about it, the more confusing for him. He glanced at her counterpart who was staring at the fire, the thick woolen cloak wrapped around her for warmth.

"The wolves will protect us." The boy Aran felt stupid for pointing out something easy like that.

"I know. It's just..." She moved uncomfortably. "I don't get it. What he meant by too late. Nothing is ever late...right?" She added under her counterpart's questioning look.

Her counterpart shrugged, before stating out the facts, "We still have no idea where's Maha and isn't it weird that Kau hasn't came back?"

"True...that's weird. But if something happens to her, she's on her own. We can't fly. Com'on, you should sleep." The boy Aran let out a long yawn and settled next to her, trusting the fire and the wolves would prevent any attacks on them. And if there was any attack, they would at least be prepared but looking at their situation, he knew they weren't with his counterpart's broken arm that needed medical attention although it was done. But there was something wrong, her arm swelled twice it's normal size and was raw red as if she decided to peel the skin off.

He hoped it was nothing major if not they were in deep shit already.

XXX

**Ereve**

Lea was watching the moon, showing itself as it pushed the clouds away. Under the moon, her eyes looked sliver and sparkling. Dual and Lucy were sleeping in one of the many guestroom in Ereve. Strangely, even if she was exhausted, she couldn't sleep for the past few hours and decided to walk around, barefooted and hopefully, able to sleep when she went back to the room.

Despite this, unknowing to her, by coincidence, Empress Cygnus was worried for the Balancers' well being especially Lea's.

Lea sighed and blinked once before her the mark of Talos on her forearm glowed and Talos came out of it before settling on the flat grass.

"I always keep my promise." Talos growled softly at her. "I promise that I would protect you since ten years ago."

"I know. I just-" She sighed sadly. "can't tell. I've been handed to many responsibilities, Jake too. Whatever Jake is planning is bound to fail without guidance." Talos went silent.

"True. But are you sure you want to follow him? By doing so, you risk yourself to _The Black Mage_. It is a risk. But...sleep should be your first priority." To prove his point, Lea was half-awake already.

"You're right." Lea decided. "It's best if I sleep. As for the new Balancer...hmmm...I hope she can deal with it. I can't guide all of them."

Talos nodded once before going back to Lea's body and the mark of Talos appeared on her forearm again.

_'No matter what happen. I will always protect you. If that's the last thing I do.' Talos voice echoed in her head._ Lea couldn't help but smile as she ran back to her room, wiping her dirty feet on the rug given and jumped to her beds and pulled the covers up. As soon as she closed her eyes, she slept. Cygnus pressed her ear against the door and listened hard to hear any signs of sleeping and was rewarded with a muffled mumbling.

Cygnus slipped inside and snuggled next to her, like a little girl which made the guards in Ereve freaked out (including Neinheart) the next morning.

XXX

**Next morning, Rien**

The two Arans got up at the first light and the girl Aran stumbled as she tried her best to follow her counterpart's pace. She knew she was slowing them down and couldn't help but winced with every step and her head pounding. They would have frostbites if it weren't for the wolves who wrapped them with their bodies and warmed them right to their toes.

To make matters worse, her broken right arm was slowly turning from red to black and to purple-black.

She wished Wolfie was here but unfortunately, it is not possible since they hardly have enough time to call Wolfie since it may take a few precious minutes.

The boy Aran heard singing and raised an eyebrow at his counterpart, suspecting she was singing but she was silent and didn't seem to hear the song and the language, strangely familiar to him. He began to follow the words that spoke of harmony and loyalty. Again and again, he sang in harmony with the voice and soon he felt himself growing in power.

XXX

It was only after half past eight when Lilin spotted them from the distance and hurried towards them with a waddle of penguins behind her. They were shocked to see how pale the girl Aran look and immediately hurried towards her. Though, not all of them swarmed over her but also towards the boy Aran and helped him with his loads. The wolves dispersed as soon as the two Arans approached the village earlier and were watching from the shadows.

"I'm fine." the boy Aran protested weakly and was rewarded with a kick at his shin by Lilin.

"You're clearly not!" Lilin yelled. She was shaking. "I was so worried. I thought you...you..."

"Are dead?" the boy Aran finished the sentence for her and laughed much to Lilin's bewilderment. She slapped him and the boy Aran winced.

"I will contact the Alliance." she said before heading towards the library which was extremely messy. She searched for her handphone but it was hidden under one of the pile of scrolls and books surrounding her. She sighed, wishing that she wasn't so untidy. It was hard for her to be the more responsible sibling when she was only sixteen years old. And of course, a trainer of the two legendary Warriors.

XXX

**Ereve**

Lucy sat down, meditating in peace. At the same time, Lea was sleeping, under the hot sun with the smell of sweet-scented flowers with yelling and grumbling at the distance. If Lucy had any doubts about Lea's sanity, it was here. Glancing at Lea's direction, she saw a dark aura surrounding her. She was surprised to know that only _she_ could see it. Except for Dual when she mentioned it to him. Dual merely shrugged in response.

_"Thought so." he said._

"Something troubling you?" Lea asked, her eye colour changed to copper. Lucy recoiled as she can see the reflection of herself. Lea tsked.

"Thought so. Sorry for being rude. It's just I have a lot on my mind. They mundanes had no idea what's coming down is getting closer and closer with each passing day. Hmph." Lea lowered her voice. "Don't tell anybody yet, okay? It's a secret."

Lucy was now filled with curiosity and hesitated for a second before nodding.

"The distortion between time and space is getting more worse. I fear that even _other_ worlds may enter our world without noticing. I'm afraid I can't stop it. Since three hundred years ago...no...it's more than that..." She shook her head sadly. "I had no idea when it started. It's too late to plug it. Much less, stop it."

Lucy raised her eyebrows. She still don't get it. Lea smiled sadly at her.

"Never mind." Lea muttered and let out a long yawn. She was tired under this warm weather and she thought by lying under the sun, she would feel happy again as it always did but this time, it doesn't which saddens her more.

"Damien. What are you up to?" she muttered to herself.

XXX

**Somewhere underground, deep inside Maple World**

"I see..." the voice hissed. The voice was devoid of emotion, it sounded like somebody decided to swallow a mouthful of lava in attempt and survived. "You failed..."

A swish of a cloak. The person, his face in the shadows cowered before the voice. His older brother, stood beside him, grovelling the ground.

"My lord. I am sure we will do better than the last thirty years. We've been stalking the girl for very long. As for the remaining three...my lord...may I?" The older brother said smoothly.

"Speak." the voice replied with amusement.

"We found them." The older brother smiled in evil glee. "I will have _so _much _fun_ with the spirit-linkers."

"Patience. Patience. Soon, very soon, we will prevail. I'm glad The Transcendence Of Dark keep his word. He will not harm the girls and the boys..." The voice cackled. "But first, we must lead the Balancer into confusion. Tear her bond apart with that troublesome dragon apart and swayed her to our side. That is your mission."

The older brother bowed and melted to the ground.

"As for you...Give me more of those wonderful, fabulous essence and spread darkness in the surface."

"Yes, my lord." the person muttered.

* * *

**A/N: Exams. Exams. Exams. Why you give me trouble? Sorry. Next update _may_ be late. Please R&R~**

**For the word spirit-linkers...I give you a clue. 4 Warriors. Tata~**


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